A New Life
by fmfan1980
Summary: What if Tara's mom had taken her daughter away from her father, brother, and cousin; and ended up in Sunnydale? This story is an AU of chapter 73 in my story "The Aftermath". Anyway, this is my first pure BtVS fiction. Hope you enjoy. *08/17/2016: Profile Updated**
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters, locations or plots from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This is just a work of fiction which has only been able to come into being because of the universe that Mr. Whedon's created.

 **Eureka, Illinois, 12:30p.m.**

Sarah Maclay couldn't believe what was happening right before her eyes. She had returned from a round of grocery shopping with her husband, Teddy Maclay; only to find that her son Donnie was kissing her niece's, Beth's, neck on his bed while their tops were off. The disgusted, and angry, woman then pulled the young girl away and berated her and her son.

However, she received the shock of her life when her husband, who had crashed on the downstairs couch immediately after the return from the grocery shop and had been drinking beer, which Sarah handed to him earlier… before he ran up the stairs to see the same thing his wife had seen.

It was then that Sarah realized that Teddy knew what was going on between Beth and his own son.

Threatening to call the police on them, she was forced down to the basement by Teddy who threatened her daughter, Tara, with the same type of abuse that Sarah had seen between Donnie and Beth. Down in the basement, Teddy, Donnie and Beth surrounded Sarah and were discussing on what actions they could take to make sure that this didn't get out to the police.

At first, Beth said that she's be the one to kill her own aunt since no one knew that she was in the house. But it was to Sarah's shock when she heard her own son suggest that she shoot herself with Teddy's gun; the same gun that his father had brought down and handed to Beth who was pointing the weapon at Sarah.

""I know something better" said Donnie with a grin as he approached Sarah who had Teddy still holding on to her tightly from behind while one hand covered the petite woman's mouth, "you'll put the gun into your mouth, and then you'll pull the trigger. You'll go back to your master because… well, you think heaven takes in women who commit suicide?"

"I'll kill you" said Sarah as she finally used magic to push Teddy off her. She didn't want to use magic against her own family, now matter how disgusting they were.. but now she had no choice, "I'll kill all of you and…"

"Then do it" said Teddy as she turned Sarah around roughly, "do it then… witch."

"Demon" said Donnie mockingly as Sarah turned to look at him.

"Demon Devil Spawn" said Beth as Sarah turned to her and narrowed her eyes in disgust.

"You're the ones who sinned" said Sarah as she looked at the three of them who surrounded her, "all of you… and you dare call me a sinner? Surrender yourselves to the police. You said you didn't touch Tara, turn yourselves in and… and I'll say that you've got a disease that…"

"No" said Donnie as he walked over to Beth and grabbed the gun away from her, and pointed it at Sarah, "you are going to put this in your mouth, and kill yourself. You've been so depressed lately that you couldn't take it anymore… you wanted to leave the world."

"I…." said Sarah as she looked at the expression of hate on her own son's face.

"Or else" said Teddy as Sarah turned around and looked at her husband.

"Or else I'll suddenly have an appetite for demons" said Donnie as Sarah looked back at him with eyes wide open in shock. Teddy then stood next to Beth before telling her that she knew too much, that she was the bigger danger now.

"Or maybe I'll suddenly crave me some demon too" said Teddy as Sarah turned towards him, her face twisted in anguish.

"Tara's just a thing" said Teddy, "you kill yourself… she won't be harmed. She'll do the cooking and cleaning but she won't be harmed. You think I wanted to deposit my seed in you in the first place? I wanted children who I could tempt away from Satan. I hoped that maybe they'll change you…. but obviously it didn't. You still have the power of a demon and…"

"I'll kill you" said Sarah with renewed resolve as she thought about her daughter while she raised her hand; her pupils turning white, and blue magical energy gathering in the air, before it crackled in the palm of Sarah's hand, "you touch Tara… you even look at her, I will kill you. Then we'll see who goes to hell."

"Try it, mommy" said Donnie mockingly as Sarah aimed the energy at her son, "come on, kill me."

"Donnie" said Sarah as she pointed the blue energy at her son, the one who was holding the gun at her, "please…. Honey… I…."

"I am not your honey, demon!" hissed Donnie as he pulled back the hammer on the gun.

Sarah wanted to fire the energy bolt she was gathering. She saw her son, and she wanted to fire. She then imagined him as a baby that she'd carry in her arms while her husband would just lay about after work and demand beer, food, or attention. As she looked at Donnie, she remembered the little boy whose first words were 'mamma'; she remembered the giggle, and the smile as she used to carry him in her arms. Tears fell from Sarah's face as she looked at her son and remembered his first steps that were towards her, she remembered kissing his first 'boo-boo' and telling him that the pain would go away. It was during his fifth year that things changed.

Teddy had gotten to him and soon the Donnie that Sarah knew was gone.

But he was still her son.

"You're my son, Donnie" said Sarah her voice breaking as she pointed the bolt at her son, "you're my baby."

"If you can't kill me, then kill yourself" said Donnie as Sarah cried, her heart breaking as she realized that if she killed her family, then she'll be the prime suspect and Tara would be taken away from her, and put into the foster system while she served time in jail. She could just freeze them all in place, but that would only be temporary. They would go to the police and say that she kidnapped Tara, and Sarah would be looking over her shoulders for the rest of her life; that was not the life she wanted for Tara, neither was this.

'I have no family' thought Sarah to herself, 'no other home, what will we… me and Tara do… where can we go? If I do what they say, then Tara will be alone and.. and I don't trust them. Oh goddess, I don't trust my own family. If I… I kill myself, and they…"

"Will you leave Tara alone?" asked Sarah, her hand still up at Donnie as a swirling blue ball of energy was gathering above her palm.

"You kill yourself" said Donnie, "and then yes."

'Kill them and be on the run forever?' thought Sarah to herself, 'or… or kill myself and Tara remains safe. She'll have a home and… and food, and a life before she moves out of here. I could injure them but… but then where do I go? Where do we go? Tara has school and… what do I do? Can I live with looking over my shoulder? Or…'

"Well?" asked Teddy as he stood next to a smug Beth, "you…"

"No" said Sarah as she fired a powered down magical blast at Donnie that sent him flying to the surprise of Beth and Teddy. It was chaos as Beth screamed and rushed Sarah while Teddy ran to him groaning son and picked up the gun that was on the floor. Sarah saw what Teddy was going to do as he picked up the weapon, so she grabbed the collar of Beth's shirt after she gave the young woman a slap, and then pushed her towards Teddy. Sarah turned and rushed up the stairs as Beth hit Teddy and the both of them stumbled back. Teddy then pushed Beth away and raised the weapon and fired at Sarah who was already out of the door. He ran up the stairs and continued to fire his weapon through the wooden door that led to the basement while his niece was coaxing his son awake.

"Sarah!" shouted Teddy in anger as he pushed the poke marked door open and looked into the living room, and then at the dining room, "Sarah! Where the fuck are…. Shit… no!"

Teddy noticed that his car keys, and Sarah's purse that she always kept at a side table near the front door, was missing. It was then that the brown haired maniac rushed out of the front door of his house and screamed at Sarah who was reversing his blue sedan onto the main road. Teddy then threw the empty gun at the car as she drove off.

Sarah was sobbing as she continued to drive while looking at the rearview mirror at the image of her husband getting smaller and smaller. She was wiping her eyes, and her nose, before she stopped the car at the side of the road once she was far enough and cried.

She slammed her fists on the steering wheel and screamed as she thought about what happened.

She thought about her son; the son she had given birth to.. the same son who just wanted her to commit suicide and her heart broke.

Sarah covered her eyes as she trembled while parked on the side of the road.

It was a few minutes later that the woman closed her eyes while tears were still flowing down her cheeks and leaned back on the seat. She knew that there were some things that she needed to do. Teddy was the one who controlled everything in the family, from what she and Tara would have to cook for him and Donnie, to the home purse strings.

He controlled all the money.

At least the account he knew about.

Sarah had the account that her own mother had set-up for her under her maiden name; an account that Sarah was planning to hand to Tara on her eighteenth birthday. But now she had no other choice. It was an account that Teddy had no idea existed. But Sarah knew that even with that money, she would be looking over her shoulders. She knew that the police were aware of what was happening in that home, but there had been no proof of abuse; and Sarah knew that they wouldn't believe her if she gave them a story about them wanted her to kill herself. She had to get out of the city, she had to get out of the state as far away from the Maclay clan as possible.

"Where do we go?" asked Sarah to herself as she bounced her head on the seat back, "where? Where?"

"First things first" said Sarah as she sat up and pressed on the accelerator, "take Tara out of school. I…. I can use magic and… goddess, I'm doing the same things mother never told me to do; never use magic for personal gain."

Sarah silently apologized to her dead mother; asking her for her forgiveness in having to do something that she believed would protect herself, and Tara.

"This is the one time, momma" said Sarah to herself as she continued to drive, "I swear. A forgetting spell and… and… new identities for myself and Tara, new names, new passports, driver's licenses, birth certificates. Everything new. I.. I'll pick up Tara, then empty out the account, then I'll buy us a bus ticket and.. and then we'll get out of here. Once we reach our new destination, I'll create the new I.D's and we'll have a new life away from this hell. Momma, I... I know it's unethical but… but I'm protecting the one person important to me. Forgive me, please."

Sarah screeched to a stop in front of Tara's school and then rushed out of the car. She placed a cloaking spell and readied a forgetting spell for the student body.

As she walked through the halls of the two story school, Sarah was mumbling a spell that would make people forget about Tara once they had left the premises. Sarah first headed to the administration office where the people were surprised to see her. However, the only reason that Sarah was there was to magically change the name on all of Tara's records; after which she made the entire office forget that she was ever there. The older woman then rushed out of the administration office and reached Tara's classroom. Standing at the door, Sarah snapped her head to the left when she heard a sound. Her heart pounding in her chest when she thought that it could be Teddy, Donnie, or Beth coming to forcefully take her away… Sarah sighed in relief when it was just something that the school janitor dropped onto the floor.

Sarah then turned back to the glass panel on the classroom door and looked at Tara who was sitting in the back of the class. She could tell that her daughter was feeling alone, even though she was surrounded by people all around her. Sarah could see that Tara's hair was partially covering her front while she was slouching slightly; then, with a smile, Sarah knocked on the glass panel and Tara looked at her mother and gave the widest smile.

"Mrs. Maclay?" asked the homeroom teacher as she opened the door, "is everything alright?"

"Yes" said Sarah, "there's been an emergency with Tara's cousin and… well, she's been in a terrible accident. She may not make the night so…"

"Oh my" said the teacher as she made a motion towards Tara to pick up her bags before turning towards Sarah, "we'll need to get to the administration office and…"

"Forget" said Sarah as she pulled a started Tara out of the classroom while the homeroom teacher looked back into the class confused. She felt as if she should be remembering someone, or something…. It was right in the back of her mind but she couldn't reach it… every time she did, it would go further away into the depths of her mind. The teacher then shook her head and closed the door while a surprised Tara, who was holding onto Sarah's hand, ran with her mother while wondering what was going on. The younger girl could see that there was something seriously wrong from the expression on her mother's face; and then she heard it.

The forgetting spell.

Tara looked back in surprise as her mother closed her eyes and mumbled a spell as soon as they exited the building.

"Momma?" asked a shocked Tara, "that was a forgetting spell and…. Momma? Why? I… I like my teachers and…. I mean I don't have friends but my teachers are nice and…"

"Tara" said Sarah as she looked at her daughter, and then looked around. Sarah then turned back to her daughter again and told her the truth about what happened. The older woman had been thinking about what to tell Tara, she thought at first about lying but knew that Tara would be able to see her aura; a technique that Sarah herself had taught her daughter. Tara listened in shock as Sarah told her about what happened, while wiping her eyes, as they headed to the car.

"I'm sorry, momma" said Tara softly as she sat in the passenger's seat of the car, "this happened because of…"

"It's not your fault" said Sarah as she kissed Tara on her cheek before she drove off from the school and headed towards the bus station. As she was driving, the two of them sat in silence as cars drove the opposite way… the both of them in fear that maybe Teddy had gotten a neighbours car and was coming after them, or he called the police; which made Sarah expect to hear sirens at anytime during her drive to the bus terminal.

But there was no Teddy, nor were there any police.

Sarah still wanted to take Tara out of the state.

While on the drive to the bus station, Sarah told Tara that what she had done was wrong… that even if she did it for what she thought was the right reasons, it was still unethical.

"I never want you to do what I did" said Sarah as she looked at her daughter, "never play with someone's memories. Promise me, Tara. Never do what I did to anyone."

"I won't" said Tara.

"Magic's supposed to be used as a last resort" said Sarah, "for the protection of others. That's how I trained you, I… I don't know if what I did was right. I did it to protect you… but I also did it for selfish reasons; to get away from Teddy."

"It wasn't a selfish reason, momma" said Tara as she looked at her mother who wiped her eyes, "daddy hurt you, he called you a demon… he called us demons. I.. I don't know if that's true or…"

"It's not" said Sarah as she looked at Tara, and held her hand tightly, "what we have is a gift. It depends on how we use that gift; for good, or for evil."

"You are still good, momma" said Tara with a wide smile, "the most powerful witch; the most amazing mother. I love you."

"I love you too, sweetie" said Sarah as she looked at Tara before they turned into the parking lot of the bus station. Sarah told Tara to get her bag, while she picked up her purse… and then they got out of the car. Sarah told Tara to lock the door before she locked the drivers side door, and then just before closing it; Sarah threw the car keys inside the vehicle and slammed the door shut. She then held Tara's hand before she reached into her purse and took out the bank card that belonged to her account. The both of them walked to the ATM in the corner while Tara looked around the station which was about half full of people, while there was a bus being boarded on the far corner. Tara tried to take a looked at where if was heading but she couldn't make out the destination.

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief as she took out a thousand dollars before she and Tara headed to the counter.

"We need two tickets on any bus that's getting out of here" said Sarah as she used her magic to disconnect the security camera that was above her, "any bus… any destination. It's a.. random trip."

"Ok" said the man behind the counter as he looked at the two of them, and then looked at the screen in front of him while typing on his keyboard. She then looked up at the two women and told them that there was a bus leaving for Sunnydale, California, "it's the one that's boarding right now."

"We'll take it" grinned Tara as she tightened her hold on Sarah's hand, "we'll take it."

TBC.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. Cheers.

 **Outskirts of Sunnydale, little over thirty five hours later; 12:30 a.m.**

In the bus, Sarah was looking out the window at the stars that poke marked the dark sky while Tara had been sleeping with her head on her mother's shoulder. The older woman looked back at the top of her daughter's head and smiled before she gave her a kiss on the top of Tara's head and then leaned back on the seat. It was then that the driver announced that they were almost at Sunnydale.

'Sunnydale' thought Sarah to herself as she looked out of the window once again, 'I hope that Teddy can't find me here, not that he'll actually spend the time or… or go to the police since they don't like him and I'm sure they'll have questions about the bullet holes in the door or… I just hope he's too blind to come after us. Maybe moving as far away as we did would be better; not that I really have a choice since…'

It was then that Sarah tensed up right as the bus passed the lit sign that said 'Welcome to Sunnydale'. She looked around the bus at the other forty people on the bus before she looked out the window at the scenery that was rushing past them.

Sarah then saw the lights of the city in the distance.

But the closer she got, the more a sense of dread start to creep into her being. A sense of dread, and the sense of a very powerful mystical force just permeating from what seemed to be the city itself. Sarah looked outside the window and wondered what she had gotten herself and Tara into. As teh bus kept on going, Sarah started to feel dark magic all around her while Tara started to stir awake.

"Momma?" asked Tara as she opened her eyes and then sat up stright while yawning and stretching her arms over her head, "are we there yet?"

"Yes, honey" said Sarah as she smiled at her daughter before looking out the window again.

"I feel somehing weird" said Tara as she lenaed towards Sarah and placed her head on the older woman's shoulder again, "I feel mystical forces and..."

"So do I" said Sarah as she nodded her head, "I'm beginnning to wonder if it was a good idea coming here, or maybe we should get another bus from here and... maybe go up to Canada; but either way.."

"We'll be away from daddy and the others" said Tara as she nodded her head and wrapped her arm around Sarah's arm, "maybe we should stay here. I mean there's only so much we can run and... and if we change our names then how easy would it be for Daddy, Donnie and Beth to find us?"

"Nerly impossible" said Sarah as she smiled and nodded her head at Tara.

"Can... can I keep my first name and... I mean.. can't we just change our last names?" asked Tara as the bus made a turn into the city, "I mean, everything else will change anyway... so..."

"I aleady changed your name on the school records to Natalie Williams" said Sarah, "your school would have forgotten about you by now, including what you look like. But my plan is that once we get a room, I'll run the spell and temporarily change our names to something completely different. Then we'll just wait for a few months before changing our names again to Sarah, and Tara Collins."

"Your maiden name" said Tara with a smile.

"Yep" grinned Sarah as she looked at Tara, "I'm hoping that it'll take Teddy that long to keep looking for us before he figures that he can't find us. In case he delivers a picture to the police department, I've made it so that no one will recognize our faces; in fact, they'll throw away our pictures, shred them in fact, when Teddy gives them any pictures. Then... then after I change our identities for the second time, I... I'm giving up magic."

"Momma?" asked Tara in surprise.

"I'm committing a taboo, Tara" said Sarah gently as she looked at her daughter, "I'm changing people's minds and... and it's something that should never be done. I tell myself that what I'm doing is to protect us; and it's true.. but I still did it. I just want to redeem myself by training you."

"Yay" said Tara grinning at the older woman.

"Tara, you can shine brighter than any star, just don't repeat the same mistakes I'm going to do" said Sarah as she held her daughter's hand, "first of all be careful with your magic, and secondly... make sure that the person you fall in love with loves you back; that he's not cruel to you, or your friends and family."

"And if it's a she?" asked Tara as she looked at the floor of the bus blushing before looking at a surprised Sarah, "I.. I.. mean.."

"It could be a she" said Sarah as she placed her arm around the young woman's shoulders, "either way, you should warn him, or her, that it's not nice to piss off your mother."

"Momma" said Tara as she looked at Sarah in mock horror.

"I'll have you know" said Sarah thoughtfully, "before meeting your father; when I was a Freshman in Normal... I did experiment with..."

"Momma, I don't wanna know" said Tara as she covered her ears with her hands and closed her eyes while Sarah giggled.

"Whether it's a boy or a girl" said Sarah as she kissed Tara's forehead after the latter put her hands down and opened her eyes, "they will be lucky to have you."

"I wonder what the teachers here are like?" asked Tara who wanted to change the subject.

"You'll make friends too, you know" said Sarah as Tara blushed, "you will, you'll see. But for the first two months we'll lay low, and then.. and then I'll enroll you in the school. In the meantime I'll look into jobs at the hospital, and by the time we have our secondary identities... we'll each have something to look forward to."

Tara nodded her head as the bus headed into the station and then let everyone out. With other people receiving the other travellers, Sarah and Tara walked over to the counter with just the former's handbag, and the latter's backpack. They asked the man behind the counter for information on the nearest motel that they could get to. With the man showing them directions on where to get a cab after giving the older woman a brochure about the city, Sarah and Tara walked out into the dark and headed for a parked cab.

Getting inside the vehicle, the older woman asked the man to take them to the Sunnydale Twenty One Hotel that was located near Main Street. As the driver started to drive the vehicle, Sarah looked at Tara and reassured her that everything was going to be alright. The older woman smiled when Tara nodded her head and smiled her before she put her arms around Sarah and just held on tight. It was about twenty minutes later, which Tara and Sarah travelling in comfortable silence, that the cab reached the three story hotel which was the only one in town that had a twenty-four hour diner attached to it. Sarah paid the man before she and Tara headed into the office, which she entered after reciting spell to make the manager believe anything that she would be writing, where she requested a room for two. While Sarah wrote down her fake information, Tara was looking out of the glass walls with eyes narrowed slightly. She could feel mystical energy, both stable and unstable, permeating through everything around her. She glanced over at Sarah, who looked over at her; once again silently confirming the feeling that she was having.

'Momma still has the weird feelings too' thought Tara to herself as she looked out of the glass walls. She could see the brightly lit sign over the small diner, with the hotel right next to it. However, she swore that she could also see shadows moving swiftly from one place to another. Thinking that it was just her being exhausted, Tara shook her head and pushed it to the back of her mind. She then turned and watched as her mother gave the man some cash before he gave her the keys to a room on the second floor.

The two of them walked out of the office and to the building on the opposite side of the main office, and then walked up the stairs to the second floor. Sarah then walked with Tara to room number 213, a few doors down from the stairs, before she opened the door and the both of them walked in. Sarah sighed as she closed the door behind her as Tara sat on one of the two beds in the room. The older woman then turned on the air-conditioning unit to cool down the warm room after she placed her purse on her bed. She then turned to see Tara lie down with her hands over her head; it was then that Sarah realized that the only clothes they had was what remained in their backs.

Other than some cash on hand, and her and Tara's I.D's which she always carried with her, they nothing else. Sighing as she sat down on the bed, Sarah knew that she had no choice but to take out more money so that she could pay for the entire week, and get Tara and herself some new clothes. She looked at her daughter who was looking back at her while lying down; Sarah saw the smile on Tara's face that she loved, the one she always looked forward to when the younger girl came home from school.

However, there was something gnawing away at her and Sarah knew she needed to talk to Tara about it.

"I'm sorry, Tara" said Sarah as Tara immediately got up with worry on her face while she looked at her mother.

"Momma?" asked Tara as she stood up and walked over to Sarah's bed and sat down by her side, "what's wrong?"

"I… I know bringing you out here at the last minute… I mean I haven't even packed any clothes or…" said Sarah as she looked down at the floor while Tara leaned her head on the older woman's shoulder, "and.. and I mean I've got an account that your grandmother set up for me under my maiden name."

'Daddy doesn't know?" asked Tara softly while Sarah shook her head 'no'.

"It's got quite a lot of funds and… well… I didn't want Teddy to go near it" said Sarah as she rested her head on Tara's while the both of them looked at the cream coloured wall in front of them, "but.. but I wanted to give this to you and… and I guess it feels like I haven't…."

"Momma" said Tara as she put her arm around Sarah's shoulder, "we'll be alright. That belongs to you and… and I know that everything's going to be alright."

"I'm still sorry, honey" said Sarah as she wiped her eyes and looked at her daughter as it finally dawned on Sarah that they were away from anyone they knew, even if it was the relatives who would put her down from Teddy's side of the family. Sarah looked at Tara and knew that they were strangers, in a strange city… a strange city that was giving off energy; mystical energy.

Tara held onto Sarah for a few minutes before they walked down to the diner to have a quick meal. Once they were done, they two women headed back to the room where Sarah and Tara, placed everything they had onto the bed. Sarah told Tara that the spell she was going to cast would magically change every document that had their names, and she'd be making sure that the copies of any document bearing their names that Teddy, and Donnie had will be burnt to ashes. Tara then nodded her head when Sarah told her that she'll also be removing memories of herself, and Tara, from all those who know them… except from Teddy, Beth, and Donnie.

"But why?" asked Tara.

"They'll keep on insisting that we exist when every single shred of evidence shows that we don't" said Sarah, "at least not our old names. Can you say insane?"

"I like it" said Tara as she imagined Teddy, Donnie, and Beth being sent to an asylum, as the while shouting that Sarah and Tara were real, at that they were demons sent to destroy the world, "yeah, I can imagine what they'll be saying."

"All our I.D's will change, and we'll get new documents that will show our new lives" said Sarah as she sat on the bed, "then after the two months is over, I'll run another similar spell to give us our final identities."

"I love you, mom" said Tara as Sarah gave the younger girl a wide smile, "and I promise I'll never do anything like this."

Sarah kissed her daughter's check again before she and Tara sat side by side, the older woman chanting a spell in latin. A spell that would begin a new life for themselves in Sunnydale.

TBC.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Hey guys, it's already New Years Eve morning here. And since I'm not planning on thinking about what to write for the next two days or so, I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year. Have a great 2016. Cheers.

 **Creek Apartments, 8:00 am; two months later.**

It had been two months since Sarah and Tara arrived in Sunnydale, and when the older blonde woman had initiated the spell that changed their identities. The two of them had been laying low in the city, while at the same time realizing that there was something that was slightly off in addition to the dark energy that seemed to be everywhere. Sarah told Tara that she sense a field around the city, a field that was seemed to make people believe what they wanted to believe; something that would explain away incidents in town. Their first interaction with this field occurred nearly two days later while Sarah was reading the local newspaper searching for a part time job before she performed her other spell to change their identities one more time.

"Four girls killed" said Sarah while she and Tara were drinking some coffee at the diner next to their motel, "gangs on PCP suspected?"

"Huh?" asked Tara as she bit into her toast while looking at her mother.

"Dead body found outside local park" said Sarah, "ritualistic undertones of killings indicate return of yet another barbeque fork serial killer copycat?"

"What?" asked Tara as Sarah showed her the article which included a picture of the body. It was of a young man who's skin was deathly pale, along with a close-up picture of two marks on the neck. Tara looked at the two marks, and then the pale young man on the picture and then looked up at Sarah who was frowning while leaning back on her seat and looking at the paper, "momma, marks like that… and the body looks like it was drained off blood."

"Only one creature can do that" said Sarah as she rubbed her forehead before she leaned forward and whispered, "vampires."

"Vampires" said Tara nodding her head in agreement.

"We need to get out of here" said Sarah as she looked around, "Tara, we…"

'Momma" said the younger blonde, "we just got here. I.. I think we should stay. I mean we can take precautions; and… we've got protection spells and… I know we'll be alright. And maybe it's just one vampire or…"

"Is there ever one?" asked Sarah as she smirked while looking at her daughter.

"No" said Tara, "but it doesn't mean we run away. I mean the thing with daddy was different, but.. but I think we can handle this. Please, let's just stay? We're already far away from daddy… and you're spell worked so I don't think he'll even find us."

"Alright" said the older blonde as she whispered, "but I'll train you to better hone your aura reading, Tara. You'll know who's a vampire, and who's not… and then you can use what you think is appropriate. I'd say go somewhere crowded, or use a cloaking spell."

"I know, momma" said Tara.

It was two months of following the strange happenings in town on the news on TV and on the newspapers that the both of them suspected that there was even more things going on than just Vampires. The both of them had seen demonic signs, in some places when they went out… coalescing of dark energies by warlocks in other places. The two witches placed powerful protections around themselves from the darkness as the weeks went by. Eventually, two months had passed and Sarah had performed her second spell that changed their names, to Sarah and Tara Collins. The both of them had just rented a new two bedroom furnished apartment, and then Sarah had Tara's 'new' records from her old school transferred to Sunnydale High. She chuckled at the woman on the other end of the line unable to remember who Tara was, so Sarah had to ask her a few times to check their files. She knew that once the file was transferred, then they would forget about Tara once again.

Once the two of them moved what little they had into their new apartment, Sarah then for an used, sedan to drive her and Tara to school; and herself to an interview at Sunnydale General for a nursing position.

Today was the day for both milestones in Sarah and Tara's lives; Tara was going to be heading to Sunnydale High, and Sarah was going to head for her interview at the hospital. It was nearly ten minutes later that Sarah drove the car up to the front Sunnydale High. Stopping the car at the stair case, the two of them watched streams of students walking on the pavement before they ran up the stairs. Tara also saw students sitting on benches near the entrance, and then on the grass in the large lawn in the front of the school.

"You know what you have to do?" asked Sarah as she looked at her daughter who looked back at her and then back at the school again.

"See Principal Snyder, get my schedule, and then get to class" said Tara as he looked back at Sarah again and smiled, "I know how to do this, momma."

"I know, honey" said Sarah as she kissed Tara's cheek, "I'll be back to pick you up at 3:30 in the afternoon."

"Good luck with the interview" said Tara as Sarah nodded her head before the young witch exited the car, and then closed the door behind her. She turned and waved at the car that was driving away before she turned and sighed as she looked at the school. Adjusting her backpack, the young woman then walked up the stairs slowly just more students rushed passed her.. some even turning and looking at her, their eyes looking at her long skirt and orange t-shirt before turning around again and walking into the school. Soon the bell rang as more people rushed in, with Tara following close behind them.

'Now I need to look for admissions' thought Tara to herself as she looked at the students who was rushing one way, and then more were going another way while they were heading up towards the stairs.

"Umm… excuse me?' asked Tara ashes looked a one young woman. She then called out to another young man who rushed past her before she sighed. It was then that she turned to her left and noticed a blonde girl walking with a dark haired young man. Tara took in a deep breath before walking towards them and asking for help in finding the admissions office.

"Oh" said the blonde girl as she looked at Tara, and then at the young man next to her, and then at Tara again, "you're in luck… that's where we're going right now."

"Can… can I join you?" asked Tara.

"Yeah" said the girl as she nodded her head, "you're new? Of course you're new since you're asking about admissions."

"Tara Collins" said the witch as she extended her hand, which the blonde girl promptly shook with a wide grin on her face.

"Buffy Summers."

"Buffy?" asked Tara with an eyebrow raised.

"Hey" said Buffy in mock horror, "it's a nice name. Oh, sorry… this is an old friend of mine from Los Angeles, he's like you.. I mean he just transferred in.."

"Billy Fordham" said the young man as he shook Tara's hand, "just got here yesterday. Can't wait to be a student here."

"Ok" said Tara when her senses flared up as she started to see the young man's aura. She knew that the young man was lying about attending Sunnydale High, and it was at that time she noticed something in his aura floating around his body. It was like any typical human being except for the black spots around his head. Tara tried not to be distracted by the black spots as she, Buffy, and Fordham walked towards the admissions office; but she knew that there was something life threatening happening with the young man. However, the other thing that she couldn't shake off was the sense that he was lying, that every word her was telling Buffy was a lie.

'Do I tell him that he should see a doctor?' thought Tara to herself while she walked behind the two of them, 'do I tell her that he's lying about attending this school? But then again, why would he lie anyway about coming here? I don't understand. I.. I should talk to momma about this.'

"So Tara?" asked Buffy as she looked over her shoulder at the blonde witch, "where are you from?"

"Ummm… Colorado Springs" said Tara nodding her head.

"Uh" said Buffy, "cold?"

"Very" replied Tara, "I like the California heat."

"Cool" replied Buffy as they walked through a door. It was then that Buffy told the both of them that this was the admissions office, and that she had to get to class. Tara saw Fordham reach for Buffy's arm and squeeze just slightly before telling her that she should leave, that maybe they'll catch up for lunch.

"Yea, sure" said Buffy nodding her head before she looked at Tara, "Tara, you should join us for lunch too, we can meet at the commons on the far left side of the school, can't miss it. It's got a coke machines, tables and everything. The cafeteria's right there so…."

"Thanks", I'd like that" replied Tara as she nodded her head as the girl waved at her and Fordham before rushing out of the office, and then towards her class. Tara then turned and looked at Fordham who told Tara to n go on ahead and do what she needed to do, that he left something in his car and he'll be right back.

'Another lie' thought Tara to herself while she nodded her head. She then watched Fordham leave before she sighed and approached the woman behind the counter. Tara gave the woman her name, and was then told to wait for a few minutes before she was called in to see Principal Snyder. At first glance, the young witch didn't like the man… to her he seemed too judgemental and he had seemed to hide something; at least according to Tara's senses. After talking to the Principal for about thirty minutes about her being a 'B' average student according to her transferred records, and some other things that made Tara feel like she just wanted to kick the man in the head for being too pretentious, the young woman then thanked the little man before she walked out of the office and headed back to the counter. There, the woman behind the counter handed Tara her class schedule and a list of books she'll need.

"Umm…." asked Tara as she looked at the book list, "I haven't brought…"

"Library" said the woman as she looked up at Tara, "second floor, sixth door to the left… can't miss it."

"Oh… ok… thanks" said Tara nodding her head as she rushed to the stairs where she walked up to the second floor slowly and then made a left turn. She could see a pair of double doors in the distance, and she walked towards it. It didn't take too long before Tara saw the sign over the doors that said 'library' before she pushed one side of the doors open and walked in. Tara saw that the library was quite large with a counter and a back office in one side with a back office, and then right across from it was a book cage that also had what seemed to be a large locker. Then in the middle of the room, next to the stairs that led to the shelves of books, there was a wooden table that and three columns of books resting on it.

Smiling at the feel of the place, the blonde walked over to the counter and called out for anyone. It was then she heard the sound of movement behind her, and she turned around only to see an older man dressed smartly looking at her from one of the shelves while he was taking out a book.

"May I help you?" asked the man as she rushed from the shelf and then down the stairs, and before heading behind the counter.

"Oh" said Tara as she handed him the book list, "I just got in today and… oh, I'm Tara Collins and well… I was hoping you'd have some of these books and… yeah."

"Ah" said Giles as he picked up the book list and fixed his glasses on his face. He then looked at Tara before asking her to follow him, "my name's Rupert Giles and I'm the librarian."

"I guessed that, Mr. Giles" said Tara as she followed Giles who looked back at her, smiled and then chuckled slightly.

As Tara followed Giles to the stairs, Tara caught a glimpse of one of the many books that were lying on the table.

"Oh my" said Tara softly as she walked towards the table as Giles was on the second stair when he noticed that Tara wasn't behind him anymore. Instead, she was looking at one of the books on the table, books that he had had delivered to him that day from his flat in London.

"Umm" said Giles as he headed for Tara who had picked up a book and looked at the title and then back at him in surprise.

"This is the Crowley's Encyclopaedia of Demonology" said Tara as she then looked at the leather bound book again as Giles stopped in surprise, "this is the first edition, extremely rare and… oh.. oh boy… I'm sorry."

Tara then immediately put the book down and then stepped back while she looked at the surprised look on Giles' face.

"Ummm…. I should get the books later" said Tara, "I'm sorry again, sometimes I…"

"How did you know that book was rare?" asked Giles with his eyes narrowed, "or that it was a first edition?"

"Umm… I should get to class" said Tara as she stepped back again when she suddenly had a memory flash about how her father would act when she'd touch anything of his, or Donnie's, "I'm sorry about touching the book and… and I should go… I'm sorry."

"Miss Collins" said Giles as he walked towards the girl who suddenly looked terrified, "it's alright. I'm not mad… just curious. You just seemed interested in the book and well, this is High School and no-one's interested in dusty old books."

"I… I… I should head to class" said Tara as she imagined her father berating her, "I'm sorry again… I'm sorry."

"Miss Collins" said Giles as she watched the girl run out of the doors before he scratched his head in confusion about what just happened. He then looked at the book, and then at the doors again, and back at the book. Giles then shook his head before heading to the shelves to make room for the new books in his private occult section.

In the meantime, Tara was leaning against the wall outside the library as she tried to calm herself. She remembered her father shouting at her, and screaming when she did something innocent and, although Giles hadn't done what her father did, she knew that her mind saw it that way. Tara took a few more deep breathes before she headed to her first class without any books; she was hoping that when she came back to the library, there'd be more people around so that she could hide among them.

'Just grab the books and go' thought Tara to herself as she headed down the stairs, 'yeah that's what I'll do; just grab the books and go.'

TBC.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sunnydale High, 8:15 am.**

Tara ran as fast as she could after she stood outside the library. While she was rushing, she looking at her class list and saw that her first class was history, and that while she wanted to get her books before heading in; that had to be done at another time. So Tara ran up the stairs to the third floor and then a few doors to the left where she came upon a closed door. She then looked at the number to make sure that she was in the correct room before knocking on the door. Tara looked through the glass pane as an older male looked at her before getting off the chair her was sitting on and then opening the door.

"Hi… hi, sir" said Tara as she handed the man her class list, "I… I'm sorry I'm late. I was at the library to get my books but.."

"Be on time the next time" said the man as he stepped to one side and let Tara into the room. She walked inside and looked at the student's all looking at her while the teacher closed the door and the headed towards his desk. He then stood next to Tara and introduced her to the class. It was while he was making the introductions that Tara noticed a blonde giving her a small wave with one hand, before she nodded at the seat right next to her.

Once Tara told everyone a little about herself, she walked through the open spaces and sat at the seat next to the blonde girl, the same one she had met earlier that day.

"Hi, Buffy" said Tara with a small smile as the teacher then started to write something on the board. It was then that Buffy's face fell when the man spelled out the words 'pop quiz', "looks like I came in at the right time?"

"Oh yea" said Buffy softly as she looked around the class, before looking at Tara again, "ummm… I know it's weird but have you seen Ford? You know, that guy I was walking with?"

"Ummm.. no" said Tara as she looked at Buffy, "sorry, but he was gone by the time got out."

"Glad you escaped Snyder" said Buffy as Tara grinned.

"He's got a Napoleonic complex, doesn't he?" asked Tara as she leaned in and whispered.

"Huh?" asked Buffy confused.

"You know.. he's a bit…" said Tara when she was interrupted by the teacher.

"Alright" said the teacher as Buffy, Tara and the others looked at the man, "quiz time and…."

While the man was speaking, Tara whispered again and told Buffy that she'll explain what she meant later.

"I.. I mean if you're not busy" said Tara.

"How're your classes?" asked Buffy as Tara reached into her bag and showed her the class list while the teacher kept droning on. Buffy nodded her head before handing the piece of paper to Tara again, "we're in the same classes… neat. How about I introduce you to some friends? I mean after lunch we catch up at the library and…"

"The library?" asked Tara as her eyes widened, "I… I mean maybe we could go somewhere else and… I mean…"

"Everyone silence" said the Teacher as Buffy and Tara separated and sat up while the teacher handed pieces of papers with question on them down each row of students. Buffy took the piece of paper and then handing it down to the person behind her before glancing over at Tara with one question going through her head.

'She's afraid of the library?' thought Buffy to herself, 'that's just weird.. well this is the Hellmouth; the address for weird but I'm not getting any funny feelings from her.. no vibes… no Slayer sense or… yeah… like I've got Slayer sense. Anyway, maybe Giles freaked her out or something; well, I'll have to properly introduce her to Giles.. oh and to the others too. But I wonder where Ford is?'

 **Sunnydale High, 12:30 pm.**

It was after finishing the class right before lunch that Tara and Buffy walked out of the classroom. Tara felt that there was something about the girl she had been sitting next to for the past few classed, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Shaking her head as she continued to talk to Buffy, who had been doing her best to make Tara feel welcome at the school, Tara accidently bumped against a dark haired girl who was walking the another way. Stopping after the bump, Tara stopped moving when she fell a feeling of dread come over her before she looked at the girl who looked back at her, apologized and then started laughing with her other friends.

"Tara?" asked Buffy as she stopped walking and looked back at Tara who was looking at a the girl who had just joined Sunnydale High School a few days ago, Anya Jameson. Buffy walked over to Tara and asked if everything was alright, however, she noticed that Tara kept on looking at Anya while mumbling something under her breath… as if she was talking to herself; and the Slayer swore she heard the word 'Demon', "Tara? Did you just say demon?"

"Huh?" asked Tara as she looked at Buffy while kicking herself mentally. The girl who had walked past them had surprised her, especially when Tara had a strange feeling go through her body. She then started to look at that girl's aura and was shocked to see it so unnatural… and combined with the feelings that were permeating her body, Tara knew that the girl was a demon.

A demon she couldn't believe was in high school.

'A demon' thought Tara as she looked on while Buffy had been calling to her earlier, 'a demon here.'

It was when Tara felt a tap on her shoulder, and then turned and looked at Buffy who asked her if she actually said the word 'demon' did Tara realize that she was actually talking to herself; something that she did to calm herself down when her father would slap her mother, or he would shout at her… berating her for what he thought she was.

"Huh?" asked Tara shaking her head, "demon? No.. no.. no such thing as demons, Buffy. I just said the word 'demean'."

"Demean?" asked Buffy as she raised an eyebrow at Tara who nodded her head vigorously.

"Yea" said Tara, "I said that I wish I could demean her?"

"Tara?" asked Buffy as she stepped closer, "did you really mean…"

"Hey, Summers" said a voice from behind Buffy who suddenly had a smile on her face as she looked at Tara before turning around and giving Ford a hug, "classes were a killer. I guess we've got different… you know.. stuff."

"You remember Tara?" asked Buffy as she motioned towards Tara who gave Ford a small wave.

"Hey" said Ford nodding at Tara, "how do you like it here so far?"

"I made a friend" said Tara softly while poking Buffy's upper arm as the Slayer grinned at Tara and then at Ford, "so I'd say I'm having more fun than in my old school."

"Neat" said Ford as he put his arm around Buffy's shoulder.

"We're meeting Willow and the others for lunch" said Buffy as she looked over her shoulder and noticed that the smile on Tara's face that had been there a few seconds ago when she met Ford again had vanished as she was looking at Ford with a frown on her face, "ummm… Tara? You alright?"

"Huh" said Tara as she looked at Buffy while thinking to herself, 'tell her, Tara. Tell he that he's lying. He hasn't been to class. Every word's been a lie but… come on, Tara. No… I.. I can't… stop it Tara… you're making it too obvious."

"Tara?" asked Buffy as she gently took Ford's arm off her shoulder while Tara looked at the floor, "Tara, you're spacing out a bit here."

'Say something, Tara' thought the blonde witch to herself, 'say something… and lets go on with the day. You can talk to momma tonight and… for crying out loud just say something.'

"Sorry" said Tara as she looked at Buffy, "I was just thinking about cheese."

'Cheese!?' thought Tara to herself while wishing silently that the ground would open and swallow her.

"Cheese?" asked Buffy as she chuckled while putting her arm around Tara's back before she gently guided Tara towards the cafeteria, "we've got a mean mac and cheese. I mean I don't think the cheese is real… but it's decent. Although, my mom makes the best mac and cheese on Earth… say, if your not busy… maybe we could go to the Bronze tonight.. it's the local club that lets us in as long as.. well.. you know, we don't drink."

"Of.. of course" said Tara shaking her head as she smiled at Buffy while Ford was walking in front of them with his hands in his pockets. Tara then looked at Ford again with suspicion in her eyes as Buffy ran to the boy who she used to have a crush on all those years ago. Tara followed them through the hallways until they reached an area outside the cafeteria where there were two people waving at Buffy, who waved back at them. Buffy then turned and waved at Tara… signalling her to join them as they took a seat and the blonde Slayer introduced Tara to Xander, who stood up immediately and started to talk while hurriedly getting a seat for Tara so that she could sit next to her.

However, for Tara, she didn't hear anything that Xander was saying while she looked at the girl with the long red hair and green eyes who was shaking her hand. Time shad seemed to stop for the blonde witch when she shook her head and time started flowing again. It was then Tara realized that she was still shaking Willow's hand while the redhead smiled nervously at her.

"Sorry" said Tara as she stepped back, "sometimes I just space out."

"No biggie" said Willow as she waved her hands while Tara noticed an empty chair near Xander. Smiling at the young man, she walked over and sat next to him where he excitedly started shooting questions at Tara; including if she was single and if she would like to go to the Bronze for a family friendly gathering of friends.

"Xander" said Willow as she shook her head at her oldest friends while chuckling, "you don't ask a girl if she's single right after you meet them."

"That's what he did with me" said Buffy as she leaned back on her seat.

"Really?" asked Tara as she put her hand on her chest in mock horror, "you say that to all the girls? Oh my."

"Hey" said Xander as he looked at Willow and Buffy, "I've read in a book that…."

"You read?" asked another girl who walked past Xander with four other girls before they sat at another table.

"For your information" said Xander as he looked at the girl, "I do read… unlike you.. I read actually books."

Xander then looked back at Tara who was looking back at him with her eyebrow raised.

"Fine" said Xander, "maybe some comic books… which are by the way, still books."

"Agreed" said Ford as he pointed at Xander's direction.

"So, Tara…." Said Xander, "my questions?"

"Yes to both questions" said Tara with a smile.

 **The Bronze, later that night.**

Tara, Willow, Xander, Buffy and ford had gotten to talk more before heading back for their classes. At the end of the day, Tara decided to forgo the trip to the library.. telling the group that they were still in the process of moving into their new apartment. In reality, Tara wanted to talk to Sarah about what she had seen and heard; and she also wanted to know if Sarah managed to get that job.

Unfortunately, the older woman didn't.. but she was referred to the doctor's office in Sunnydale High for a nurses position. She told her excited daughter that she had an interview the next day, and that if she did get the job.. then she'll do everything in her power to embarrass her daughter.

"Momma" said Tara while Sarah chuckled.

It was on the way back home that Tara told Sarah about Ford, about the books that she found on the library table, and about the demon she had seen in the school who was disguised as a student.

"Wow" said Sarah shaking her head in disbelief, "I guess the demon… did you sense any danger from her?"

"No" said Tara, "it was just… just weird. I'm more concerned about Ford, I mean Buffy's a nice girl and.. I mean I see that he's lying her and…"

"And this has nothing to do with you being attracted to this Buffy person?"

"Momma" said Tara as she looked at Sarah with her eyes open before shaking her head, "no… she's a friend. I mean the first friend I made on my first day."

"I'm just playing with you, sweetie" said Sarah as she chuckled, "and this Ford fellow?"

"Mom, I can see his aura… every time he opens his mouth? A lie comes out" said Tara as she looked at her mother, "he's been telling everyone one lie after another. I mean he even lied about why he's here… and.. and I'm afraid of telling Buffy that I can read aura's or that.. I mean I can do spells. I mean.. what if this is like home… what if they become like Donnie, Beth, and daddy.. except for the sick parts, I mean."

"How do you feel when you talk to Buffy?" asked Sarah while she turned the car into their apartment complex, "I mean.. do you think she can be trusted? Or how about this librarian? I'm guessing that if he owns those books… then he definitely knows something about the occult. But I can't tell you if he can be trusted, or not."

"I don't know" said Tara, "but with Buffy, I feel comfortable."

"Then you should tell her" said Sarah, "if you feel comfortable around her, then tell her about what's going on. Tell her your suspicions but… but try telling no one else, Tara. Maybe you just tell her that you're getting a bad vibe from Ford… I know you said that they've known each other for a long time, so maybe its just better to tell her about your vibe. She can ask him any questions later on."

"Alright" said Tara.

"So, what do you want to do tonight?"

"I.. I was hoping that you could drop me off for an hour at a club called the Bronze?" asked Tara, "I mean, Buffy said it's a place.. well, the only place that allow hose under eighteen and we don't get to drink and…"

"Ok" said Sarah, "for an hour. But I'll be there in the corner looking at all the cute boys."

"Momma" said Tara as Sarah laughed.

It was around nine at night that Sarah dropped Tara off at the Bronze before telling the blonde witch that she'll pick her up at ten. Once Sarah drove off, Tara walked through the entrance and into the throngs of people inside the building while pulse pounding music was playing from the speakers on the walls. From where Tara was standing, she could see that bar in one corner that was serving alcoholic, and non-alcoholic drinks; then she then got a whiff of onion rings in the distance from that same area. Smiling, Tara then looked at one section which consisted of the dance floor, and then she looked at another section that consisted of tables and chairs; and it was there she saw Willow, Xander, Buffy and Ford.

Walking towards them while doing everything she could to keep Willow off her mind, the blonde witch walked towards their table. It was Willow who caught sight of Tara first as she waved at her, before Xander, and then Buffy while Ford turned and looked at the dance floor.

"Hey, you made it" said Buffy as she leaned forward and shouted so that her voice could be heard over the loud music, "welcome to the Bronze."

"Nice place!" shouted Tara as she shouted while she sat next to Willow.

"How about we dance a bit?" asked Ford as he looked at Buffy.

"Tara?" asked Buffy as she looked at her. She felt as if she was dumping her on Willow and Xander while she went dancing with Ford.

"I'll get a pop" said Tara, "Willow, Xander?"

"Sure" said Xander nodding his head.

"Xander" said a sweet sounding Willow, "could you get us some drinks?"

"Ummmmm…." Said Xander as he looked at the puppy dog eyes that Willow was making.. eyes that he always would give in to, "fine… three cokes coming up."

"Thank you" said Willow and Tara together as Xander trudged away while Buffy and Ford headed to the dance floor.

Tara was nodding her head to the song that was playing when she realized that she and Willow were the only ones at the table.

"So… Willow" said Tara as the redhead looked at her, "are you and Xander? I.. mean.. you just asked and he… well… he left to get drinks like his life depended on it and… I'm just babbling now… please stop me."

"No" said Willow shaking her head and waving her hands, "Xander and I.. I mean there's nothing… I mean he's my oldest friend and… and I mean do I wish there was something there? Maybes but anyway I think I'm babbling so place stop me too before I say even more things and I can't breathe when I babble and…"

"Willow" laughed Tara as she turned and grabbed the redhead by her shoulders, "stop."

"Sorry" laughed Willow when she noticed a familiar face out of the corner of her eye. Turning her head, she saw a man in a dark overcoat talking to Buffy and Ford, "Angel."

"Huh?" asked Tara as she looked at where Willow was looking. It was then that the blonde gave a small scream just as she jumped off her seat. Her scream was enough for anyone nearby to just looked at her.. before continuing what they were doing, however Willow just looked at her before getting out of her seat while Buffy and Ford, and then Angel looked at the young woman.

"Tara?" asked Willow while the witch was looked at Angel in fear, "Tara? You alright?"

Tara didn't know if she was alright; Tara didn't even know if she was seeing what she was seeing. She could see the darkness just coming off Angel, the darkness that she knew emanated from the demon that made up a vampire. But in the middle of that darkness, she could see a bright white circular ball of light… a ball of such pure white that Tara knew the only thing it could be was a soul.

"Tara?" asked Buffy as the witch stared at Angel while shaking her head. Tara knew that it wasn't possible, that a vampire couldn't have a soul…. Tara could feel the darkness from the demon trying to strangle her as she just looked at Angel. However she didn't know if these feelings were just because of her own fears. She wanted to run.. all Tara wanted to do was run. This was the first time she faced a vampire… ordinarily she'd just see them from a distance… but this was the first time she saw one up close.

'Get away from him, Buffy' thought Tara to herself as she saw how close Buffy and Angel were standing.

"Tara" said Buffy as she walked towards her with concern in her eyes, "are you…"

"We need to leave" said Tara as she grabbed a surprised Buffy's hands and ran as fast as she could while telling Willow to run as well. Tara dragged a resisting Buffy until they were just outside of the Bronze, and near an alley right next to the club, when Buffy finally managed to regain her balance and she stopped moving.. as did Tara.

"Tara" said Buffy, "first.. damn you're strong… and second, what's going on?"

"I… where's Willow? Willow!" shouted Tara as she turned around and put her hands on her head in panic as she looked around, "Xand…."

"Hey!" shouted Buffy as a figured jumped out of the alleyway and slammed into Tara. The both of them fell onto the ground as Tara screamed upon looking at the face of the vampire that was on tp of her. Buffy then grabbed a hold of the vampire's shoulders before pulling him off Tara, and then throwing him into the alleyway. Tara slowly got up only to see Buffy run and then punch the vampire before she picked up a piece of wood near a dumpster. She then saw the blonde kick the vampire until he was slammed against a wall before Buffy stopped him with the piece of wood. Tara took a step forward a the vampire turned to dust, after which Buffy dropped the piece of wood onto the ground, and then turned around just as Willow and Xander ran out to Tara who stood transfixed.

"You….. you" said Tara in shock, "you… you… you're a myth."

"Ummm.. Tara?" asked Willow.

"Buffy?" asked Tara as she pointed at Buffy "you're the Slayer."

TBC.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Bronze, 9:15 p.m.**

Tara couldn't believe it while she was pointing at Buffy who was walking back towards where she, Willow and Xander were standing. Tara saw the blonde girl complaining about dust on her clothes while she was walking back before she looked at Tara and asked if she was alright, if she was hurt anywhere.

"I…. I…" said Tara as she continued to stare at Buffy.

"Ummm… Tara?" asked Willow as she waved her hands in front of Tara's face, without the blonde having any reaction.

"I think we broke her" said Xander chuckling.

"Buffy?" said Willow as she looked at her best friend before looking at the new student among them, "umm… I heard Tara say that you're supposed to be a myth. I mean the Slayer part of you and…"

"Ummm…" said Buffy as she looked at Tara with her eyes open wide in surprise while Willow told the Slayer that she never told Tara anything, that they only just met, "Tara? I can say that you're not myth-taken. Get it? Not myth-taken?"

"Ooooo" groaned Xander as he rubbed his forehead before looking at Buffy, "that's my line, Buff."

"Summmers" shouted Ford as he ran up to them, along with Angel who was behind the younger boy, "you alright?"

"Buffy?" asked Angel as Tara suddenly turned to look at the vampire before she took a step back in shock. Angel, for his part, managed to take his eyes off Buffy and look at the young blonde woman who was looking back at him with a mixture of terror and amazement in her eyes. Angel could feel the hair going up on the back of his neck before he took a step back, the man could feel magic in the air that was coming from the girl he hadn't been introduced to yet, but he could tell that he was scaring her, 'she knows I'm a vampire… can she see my soul too? But whatever the case is… I'm scaring her. No sense in me staying here… she could do something at anytime.'

Shaking his head, Angel then turned towards Buffy and told her that he needed to leave; that he had to check out something. He then turned to Willow and said goodbye before looking at the terrified blonde and giving her a gentle smile before turning around and walking away.

"He…. He…" said Tara as she pointed at Angel.

"So did you dust a vampire?" asked Ford as everyone, including Tara turned to the young man who was looking at a shocked Buffy, "oh come on Summers, I've known you were a Slayer since Hemery… I mean you ran off a few times and I followed you. Some bearded guy was showing you to fight… then came the gym."

"Ummmmm" said Buffy unsure of what to say as she looked at Ford, and then at Tara, two people who knew about who she was. While she was sure that Ford may have seen her sometime when she was training with Merrick, Buffy was more concerned about how Tara knew… or where she heard about Slayers in general.

"So the Hemery gym?" asked Ford excitedly, "vampires, right?"

"Uh huh" said Buffy nodding her head.

"OOO, I was right" said Ford as he looked at Xander and Willow who were whispering to each other, and then at Tara who continued to look at Buffy, before he looked at Buffy again, "the Slayer. So… are you going on patrol now?"

"Let's take it easy" said Buffy as she put her hands up before looking at Xander and Willow. She then told her friends to take Ford back into the Bronze, that she was afraid that someone else will take their seat, "you guys go ahead, me and Tara'll follow you."

"Sure" said Willow as she nodded sideways at Xander, who put his hand on Ford's shoulder before the three of them headed back to the Bronze. In the meantime, Buffy approached the still surprised Tara and admitted that she was the Slayer.

"This is amazing" said Tara as she looked Buffy up and down, "I mean, I heard about Slayers and… wow, to meet one is… wow."

"Nice to know I've got a fan" said Buffy as she smiled at Tara who shook her head, "well, second fan anyway."

"I mean… I heard there's only one Slayer at a time and to find you here its… wow" said Tara before she looked back towards the Bronze, and then back towards Buffy again, "I… I know what it looks like.. you know me running away while pulling you behind me and…."

"Oh don't worry about it" said Buffy as she and Tara started walking towards the Bronze again, "I like getting pulled and…"

Tara then looked at Buffy with an eyebrow raised before she chuckled as the Slayer told Tara that what she said sounded much better in her head. It was then that Buffy asked Tara why did she pull her away from the Bronze. The blonde witch then explained to Buffy that she saw the man's aura and she could just tell that he was a vampire.

"And you were standing so close to him that I thought you'd get bitten and…. yeah" said Tara sheepishly, "but… but you know him?"

"Yea" said Buffy nodding her head.

"It.. it was strange looking at his aura" said Tara as Buffy looked at her, "everything was dark, like any other vampire… but I also sow something impossible; a circle of white light. Buffy, that's a soul and I've never…."

"That's a whole curse thing" said Buffy as Tara looked at her in surprise, "I mean he used to be bad, and… well, now he's good. I mean we're dating and… yeah I guess you could say we're dating and…"

"A vampire Slayer's dating a vampire?" asked Tara giggling at Buffy.

"I know it's a weird thing" said Buffy as she nodded at Tara, "so what else can you do? I mean other than aura reading?"

Tara wasn't sure if she should tell Buffy that she was a witch as well; she had also read somewhere that there had been some Slayers who killed witches.

'But those were bad witches' thought Tara to herself as she looked at Buffy who was waiting for an answer while they continued to walk towards the Bronze, 'but just in case…'

"No" said Tara shaking her head, "just aura reading, fancy, fancy aura reading."

"Cool" said Buffy grinning, "so… what else can you do with aura reading?"

"Umm…" said Tara as the both them stopped walking and they faced each other, "I can tell if you're lying, if you're sick.. or if you've got some life-threatening sickness, I can tell you how you're feeling even if you're trying to hide it."

"Ok" said Buffy as she put her hands behind her back while she thought about something, "oh.. how about if you tell me if I'm lying, or telling the truth."

"I like ice skating" said Buffy.

"True" said Tara.

"I'm a Pieces" said Buffy.

"Lie" said Tara as Buffy chuckled.

"I've never been to Disneyland, but I have been to Universal" said Buffy.

"True, and a lie" said Tara.

"Neat" said Buffy, "how about we show Willow, Xander and Ford?"

"Ummm…" said Tara who suddenly became nervous, "I… I'd prefer if no one knows about… you know and…"

"Kinda too late when you said I was the Slayer when Willow and Xander were next to you" said Buffy with a smile, "they'll be asking you questions the whole night… well, at least until you've gotta go."

"Right" said Tara as she snapped her fingers, "forgot about them."

Buffy just chuckled before she held on to Tara's hand and pulled her into the Bronze.

"Umm… Buffy" said Tara as she stopped moving before she pulled the Slayer back outside the Bronze again. Tara took Buffy a few steps outside the entrance before they were facing each other again, and Tara started to get nervous, "umm… what would you do if you just met someone… I mean just met like met that day and you become friends and…"

"Tara?" asked Buffy.

"I mean.." said Tara as she shook her head, "I mean let's say this friend has someone in her life who's lying to her. I mean this is all hypothetical, so… this friend is lying… hypothetically.. so would the new friend, tell the friend she just made that the friend she knew for much longer than the new friend was lying to her?"

"Ummmmm" said a confused Buffy, "what?"

"I mean…" said Tara as she sighed, "this… ummm. maybe we should go back in and…"

"Tara" said Buffy as she took a step forward, "what's going on?"

"I.. I lied" said Tara as she looked at Buffy, "when.. when you asked me this morning if I saw Ford? I mean.. yeah I saw him when you took us to the admissions office, but after you left he went somewhere else. I was… was there for maybe five minutes before Principal Snyder called me in and…"

"Tara?" asked Buffy shaking her head, "that…"

"I didn't know how,…. I mean I didn't know what to tell you.. I mean I see you as the first friend I made here and, I mean Xander and Buffy too. This is far better than when I was in Colorado Springs but… but I've been beating myself up thinking whether I should tell you and… I mean that's why I had that hypothetical scenario and…"

"Tara" said Buffy as she grabbed both of the blonde witch's shoulders, "calm down. Maybe he went to the restroom or…"

"I was in there for maybe twenty minutes.. maybe a bit more?" said Tara, "but… I mean…. maybe you're right but I didn't see him when I left the Principal's office and…. and remember when he met up with us again? Buffy… I.. I just showed you that I know when you're lying. When anyone's lying, and maybe yes there's some reason for the lie… I mean when you lie once or twice I guess it's ok but all the things he was telling was a lie. I mean… I saw that he was lying and… and there's something else. I saw a black patch on his head… I mean on his aura around his head.. there was a black patch and…"

"Tara?"

"Black patches aren't good, Buffy" said Tara as the Slayer's eyes went wide in surprise when she realized what Tara meant, "and.. and you said that he was attending Sunnydale High, and he said yes in frnt of me and… and he was lying about that too. I don't know why but.. but that's all I know. I mean, I understand if you don't want to talk to me again or if you want me to leave and…"

"Tara" said Buffy in a stern voice while shaking her head. Buffy then closed her eyes and breathed in before looking at Tara again, and talking in a gentle tone, "we'll find out what going on. Let me ask Ford some questions and… and don't worry I'm not gonna tell him that you told me. And I'm sure that there's a good explanation for the while school thing, Willow's a great hacker and I can ask her to check the school records. We'll clear this up likity split. And no… I'm not angry… just a bit surprised. I'm glad you told me, I'll just talk to him… and I'm sure that we'll be able to clear everything up."

"O.. ok" said Tara as she nodded her head before they walked back into the Bronze. Once back inside, they headed to the table where Ford, Willow and Xander were sitting. It was then that Buffy asked Ford to get some drinks and catch up with her. As they walked off, Buffy looked back at Tara and smiled before they were lost in the crowd. It was then that, just as Buffy predicted, Willow and Xander asked Tara about how she knew about the Slayer before they told her, and then why she ran off with Buffy. Tara smiled while thinking that Buffy would be telling her 'see, I told you so' before she started telling them about her aura reading ability. As Tara continued talking, she could see that between Willow and Xander… the former was more excited to know more about how to read aura's and figure out lies.

"Maybe it'll help me get a guy" said Willow as Xander patted her on the back while the redhead grinned at Tara, before looking back at Xander. When Willow looked back at her best firned, Tara's face fell when she recalled Willow saying that she was looking for a guy. Sighing as she leaned back on her chair, Tara felt a hand on her shoulder; she looked up and saw Buffy frowning at her before she looked at Willow.

"Will" said Buffy as Willow and Xander looked at her, "can you check something out for me when you get home?"

"What do you need, Buff?" asked Willow.

"School records?" asked Buffy while Xander looked around and asked the blonde Slayer where Ford went off to, "he said he was tired, and he needed to get home."

Tara looked up at Buffy, who looked back down at Tara before they looked at Willow together.

"You want me to hack into the school database?" asked Willow, "tonight?"

"Yeah?" asked Buffy, "can you?"

"It's easy" said Willow, "I can get you what you need to know by tomorrow. Who you want me to check up on?"

"Billy Fordham" said Buffy as Willow and Xander looked at each other in surprised, and then back at Buffy again.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Bronze, 10:15 pm.**

Sarah was waiting for Tara outside the entrance to the Bronze in her car while listening to the radio. It was then that she felt as if she was being watched, so the woman discretely looked out the car window and looked at the people who were milling around the Bronze. When she saw that no one was acting suspicious, the woman shook her head before leaning back on her seat while making sure that all her doors were locked.

It was five minutes later that she finally saw Tara, a smiling Tara, walking out of the walking out of the club along with a blonde girl, a redhead, and a young man walking behind them with his hands in his pockets. She saw Tara telling them something while Sarah flashed her head lights before starting the car's engine; Sarah then pressed on the accelerator and brought the car slowly to the entrance while Tara was smiling at the blonde and pointing at the car. As she stopped the car, Sarah pulled the driver side window down and looked out at her daughter.

"Hey Tara" said Sarah as she waved at the blonde who waved at the group who were now standing next to her, the young man bending down and looking while waving.

"Hi momma" said Tara before she motioned toward the others, "I'd like you to meet my friends, Buffy... Willow, and Xander."

"Hi, Mrs Collins" said Buffy and Willow.

"Hi, Mrs. C" said Xander, "welcome to Sunnydale."

"Thanks, Xander" said Sarah before Buffy told the two of them that she, Willow, and Xander needed to get back home.

"Kids" said Sarah, "get in, I'll give you a ride to your homes."

"It's alright, Mrs. Collins" replied Buffy while Willow nodded her head, "I'll be walking Willow and Xander home before I have to... well, I've got some... umm... Tara?"

"It's ok" said Tara nodding her head as she looked back at her mother, "ummm.. momma? I kinda had a freak-out after I got here and..."

"What kind of a freak out" said Sarah as she rushed out of the car and held on to her daughter's hands, "Tara, what happened? Did..."

"It's nothing bad, Mrs. Collins" said Willow just as the hairs on Sarah's arms stood up when the redhead approached her. Sarah looked up at Willow who was telling her that there was a little misunderstanding and that everything was alright now, that Tara was safe, "really. She's ok and.. umm... are you ok?"

"Ummm..." said Sarah as she shook her head when finding out she was staring at Willow. The older blonde could feel magic just coming off the redhead, it was raw and unfocused and the frightening thing was that Sarah didn't think Willow knew how strong she could be if she focused on developing her magic, 'you could be more powerful than me, or even Tara. But no... I promised no magic and, and I'll stick to that. I'll tell Tara when we get home about Willow and.."

"Momma?" asked Tara when she noticed that Sarah was looking at something on the floor.

"Sorry" said Sarah shaking her head again, "I kinda spaced out there a bit... you know how it is with interviews at the high school tomorrow and.. anyway, what happened?"

"My aura reading freaked me out by something I saw, momma" said Tara while Sarah sighed before telling her daughter that she thought that someone, or something was coming after Tara. She then asked Buffy and the others if they were ok with the aura reading abilities of her daughter.

"It's so cool" said Willow excitedly, "I mean knowing when someone's lying, knowing when someone's sick, or telling the truth... I can just imagine the possibilities. I was thinking if you could use the aura to heal.. I mean I've read somewhere that it's self generating so can you share your aura with someone who has an injury and heal them or... maybe not physically, but emotionally and..."

"Easy... easy" said Sarah laughing, "it's always better to start small; for even those who have talent like Tara, you have to start slow and small. And I'd really like to hear where you heard that… you know what they say, right? Don't believe everything you read? Or hear? OR see?"

"Aww, drat" said Willow a she frowned while Xander patted the redhead's back.

"Come on, Will" said Xander, "you're research girl, that's your superpower."

"But I'd rather be blowing up vampires and stuff" mumbled Willow while Buffy smiled at her best friend.

"They told me that they even had to face a bad witch last year" said Tara as the smile vanished on Sarah's face for an instant before it came back after Tara said that the evil witch, the mother of a former cheerleader who took over her daughter's body, was now imprisoned somewhere... they had no idea where though.

"Is the girl safe?" asked Sarah, concern on her face.

"Yeah" said Buffy, "she's alright. She keeps to herself mostly now so... yeah."

"Momma" said Tara, "remember I told you about the weird librarian and his books."

"Hah" said Xander, "he is weird sometimes."

"You kidding me? Giles is the king of weird" said Buffy while Willow could only look at the ground while thinking about her crush on the older librarian.

"Well" said Tara, "the reason he had those books is because he's Buffy's Watcher."

"Watcher?" asked Sarah as she narrowed her eyebrows racking her mind about why that word was so familiar. It took a few seconds and then she finally realized as she looked at Buffy, and the smile on her face vanished, "Buffy, you're the Slayer?"

"Yes?" said Buffy as everyone noticed that the smile that was on Sarah's face vanished, only to be replaced by a look of concern and fear.

"A Slayer.. here" said Sarah as she leaned on the car, "an outpouring of magical energy, vampires, demons, creatures of darkness... coming here. At least from what I read in the papers."

"That's Sunnydale for you" said Xander.

"This is a Hellmouth, isn't it?" asked Sarah, "we're standing on a Hellmouth?"

"Yea" said Buffy as Tara looked at Sarah in surprise.

"Momma?"

"I should have known" said Sarah as she rubbed her head in frustration, "the signs were there but I thought it was impossible. That no way were we on a Hellmouth but if the Slayer's here then..."

"Momma?" asked Tara, "I've you talk about it to yourself a few times while reading and..."

"It's a confluence of magical energy, Tara" said Sarah, "this is where the walls between dimensions are the thinnest, and here you have magical energy leaching out into the world. The increased vampires, and demons... maybe powering this entire field that's around the city? It could be the Hellmouth.. which means we need to leave this place and.."

"No" said Tara as she held her mother's hand while Buffy and the others were also speaking out at the same time against the idea. But it was Tara's voice that Sarah was hearing, "please, momma.. no more running. We'll be careful.. we'll always leave in groups and never alone, we don't invite strangers into the apartment.. and.. and..."

"You sure about this?" asked Sarah.

"Yes" came Tara's reply, "I'm very sure, momma. I promise I'll be safe. And.. and you do too... have to be safe, I mean."

"We've been helping Buffy do her slaying thing since she moved here, Mrs. C" said Xander, "and we kinda know what we're doing, we'll watch out for Tara... and show her the ropes."

"She's so cool, Mrs. Collins" said Willow, "please stay? Oh oh, talk to Giles... he'll tell you that everything's A-Ok."

Sarah looked at the four of them closely before sighing and then opening the doors to her car. She then turned and told them in her strictest possible voice that they were to get in the car, that it was getting late and she'll take them home.

"But I have patrol" said Buffy as Sarah raised an eyebrow at the Slayer, "and… I can always do that once I'm home."

"Good girl" said Sarah as Tara laughed. They got into her car as she dropped off Xander first, and then Willow as they waited until the redhead was in her house. Once the lights were on and the redhead waved at them from a window, Sarah drove the car away from the curb while Buffy sat in the middle of the back seat while telling them that she had to go home anyway; she just found out she left her stake at home.

"Not that I need a stake" said Buffy as she looked out the window while Tara looked back over her shoulder at the blonde Slayer before looking at her smiling mother.

"Of course not" said Sarah chuckling.

"But then again" said Buffy, "I guess it's better that I change too, of course then I have to wait for mom to go asleep before going out for an hour or two."

"Your mom doesn't know?" asked Sarah as she looked at Buffy for an instant before she looked back at the street outside her windshield.

"Nope" said Buffy, "can you imagine what would happen if she found out I was the Slayer? She's get pretty freaked out."

"I guess I'd get freaked out too" said Sarah.

They continued making small talk while driving, and before long, they arrived at Buffy's home where the blonde Slayer got off. She told Tara that she'll see her tomorrow at school before thanking Sarah and wishing her good luck for the interview tomorrow. They then watched Buffy walk up to her house before she looked back and waved as she opened and then closed the door behind her. It was then that Sarah drove off from the home of the Slayer, and back to their own apartment.

"So" said Sarah as she looked at Tara who was leaning back on the seat next to her, "Xander's handsome."

"Momma" said Tara as she playfully slapped Sarah's hand.

"Fine, fine" said Sarah before a grin developed on her face, "Willow and Buffy were attractive."

"Momma!" said Tara as Sarah giggled in the car.

 **Creek Apartments, 12:00am.**

It had been forty minutes since Tara and Sarah returned to their apartment. The two of them were just about ready for bed after watching a show on television when there was a knock on their door, as well as someone shouting for help. Sarah and Tara walked through the hallway and into the living room before the older woman looked through the keyhole, and then looked at Tara with worry on her face before she reached for the door.

"Get the phone, Tara" said Sarah as Tara ran to the corner of the living and picked up the cordless phone and dialled 911 while Sarah opened the door. It was then that Tara saw a dark haired woman in a shirt and red leather pants pressing against a bleeding wound on her side while asking for help.

"Please" said the woman as Tara's eyes opened wide in shock, "let me in, help me."

"Co…."

Sarah was going to said something just as Tara dropped the phone and used her hand to cover Sarah's mouth so that she couldn't speak.

"No!" said Tara as she pulled her mother back towards the hallway, "momma, vampires!"

"Goddess" said Sarah as she finally saw what her daughter saw, the darkness that surrounded a typical vampire, "Tara?"

The two young women stood at the entrance to the hallway watching as the woman smiled at them before straightening up, and activated her vamp face. It was just then that three other male vampires came up to the female who tried to reach through the threshold and into the house, but all that happened was a field pushed them back.

"Let us in" said the female vampire as the four of them stood at the door, looking in at the two women who were standing at the hallway, "let us in, or we kill everyone on this floor."

"You still don't let us in" said another vampire, "we'll kill even more… Izzy, you know.. the one you opened the door for and almost let in? She's a far better actress when it comes to normal people. We were hoping that the kid was wrong about you seeing aura's. My boss has plans so.."

"Why are you telling us?" asked Sarah while she glanced at Tara who had her eyes closed shut and was whispering something under her breathe… it was something that Sarah, who could hear the blood rushing through her head was struggling to hear, "you.. you know we…"

"Won't let us in?" said Izzy, the female vampire who knocked on the door, "we were hoping you wouldn't, I wanted to see if you'd let us in after we threaten you and the others in this building. But since that doesn't look like it's gonna work, I guess we have to go to the fun part… where we pull people from their homes and bring them to your door; men, women and children and feed on them until you let us in so that we could get a taste of you. Then we take you to Spike and if he wants to turn you… well, vampire aura readers sound pretty neat."

"You two look better than the wack job he's got with him" said the third vampire, "so come on. Let us in."

"Tara?" said Sarah as she opened her eyes wide in surprise when she heard a few words of a spell, a very dangerous and risky spell that Tara was chanting. She glanced at Tara and asked her to stop, that there was another way.. that they'd call the police, "honey, stop.. you know it's dangerous… it's like having a miniature sun in your hand.. stop."

But Tara didn't stop as she tightened her eyes shut even more, which was when Sarah looked at the hand behind Tara's back as a small bright white orb started to form. Sarah could see that the skin on the palm of Tara's hand was already peeling off from the heat.

"Tara" said Sarah worriedly as the younger blonde nodded her head and said that it was ready. Sarah then held on to her daughter's shoulder as she pulled themselves back into the hallway towards their room. Then just before they reached the door to Sarah's room, she told the four vampires that they can come in.

Sarah saw the four run into the apartment towards them while they were growling, and bearing their fangs.

"Now!" shouted Sarah while she turned away and closed her eyes, while Tara's eyes remained tightly shut as she brought her hand forward to reveal a pulsing white orb of light and heat. They could already smell Tara's skin burning when she shouted just one word.

"Lumen"

There was a burst of white light and heat that erupted from the ball of light in her hand. The burst of light dusted all four vampires as they headed into the hallway, as well as extinguishing the lights in the hallway in their apartment, as well as the apartments above, and below them.

Sarah opened her eyes to an empty hallway as she ran to shut the door before turning around and looking in shock at Tara who was n the floor and cradling her hand while crying. Sarah rushed to the kitchen and took out the flashlight, as well as a first aid kit she always kept there.. even back in Eureka. She took those and ran to her daughter who was sobbing as Sarah knelt down and turn on the flashlight, only to see Tara's skin peeling off, and her hand was very badly burnt… it looked as if she had put her hand into a fire.

"Tara" said Sarah, "the kit's not enough. Come on, we're going to the hospital."

"No" said Tara while she was crying as she struggled to say that there could be more vampires.

Sarah then gently placed Tara's injured hand in her right hand, before she covered in with her left. The older woman then started to say a spell as Tara stopped crying, her hand already starting to heal as a blue light emanated from Sarah's hands. Once her hand was healed, Sarah reached for her daughter and wiped the tears on her face as she opened her eyes again and looked at her mother.

"Momma" said Tara as she slowly got up, "you.. you used magic… but…"

"The kit wasn't enough, honey" said Sarah, "your hand was badly burnt and.. and it needed emergency attention. And you were right, maybe there could have been other vampires waiting outside so going out would have been dangerous and…"

"I'm so sorry I made you break your promise" said Tara as she hugged Sarah, "sorry, sorry."

"Shhh" said Sarah, "you were hurt. I did what I had to do. Your hand would have been infected and.. I didn't want to think about what could have happened. It was a brave thing you did, brave but risky. Just.. just don't use that spell again. Ok?"

"OK" said Tara, "but I wanna train with you observing me… it could help Buffy."

"First we need to think about moving" said Sarah.

"But momma" replied Tara, "I think I like Sunnydale. I don't want to run anymore and…"

"I mean from this apartment, silly girl" said Sarah as Tara gave her a small smile, "someone who knows vampires know where we live. Somehow, and for some reason this person targeted us and…"

"I know who it is" said Tara, "I… I'll talk to Buffy tomorrow about him."

"I'll talk to this Giles person tomorrow too" said Sarah, "right now. Just sleep."

"I'm sorry again" said Tara as she and Sarah got up off the carpeted floor.

"Don't be" said Sarah as she kissed her daughter's cheek, "go to bed, honey. I love you, my hero."

Tara gave the older woman as small smile as she entered her room, and requested that Sarah leave the door open. Nodding her head, Sarah then went to make sure the door was locked before she turned off the light in the kitchen and whatever lights worked in the living room. She then closed the blinds to the windows that looked out into the parking lot; and before she left.. and with the entire apartment darkened, she parted two of the horizontal blinds and looked outside.

She saw no one in the parking lot.

Shaking her head, she went back through the hallway into Tara's room where she leaned down and gave the younger blonde a kiss on the side of the head.

"Goodnight, Tara" said Sarah.

"Night, momma" said the younger blonde as she smiled at Sarah who walked out of her room, and then into her own. The both of them slept, safe in the knowledge that the barrier against other vampires was still active, and that they'll be able to find out answers in the day time.

For now though, neither one slept with their room doors closed.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

**Sunnydale High, 7:30am.**

Buffy was walking up the stairs after her mother dropped her off at the entrance to the school. The Slayer was wearing her sunglasses on her head as she turned and watched the students walking around her while others were sitting on the grass, and others were heading into the building. She looked around and then looked at her watch, she knew that Willow and Xander usually showed up around this time as she sighed and hopped onto the railing on the stairs.

It was then she smiled and waved her hand when she noticed Willow and Xander heading towards her, the young redhead waving her hand excitedly at Buffy.

"Buff" said Willow as she ran up the stairs, "how was patrol?"

"Oh you know" said Buffy shrugging her shoulders, "a vamp here, a vamp there."

'And vamps everywhere?" asked Xander as he waved his hands around, "hello, welcome to the Hellmouth."

Tell me about it" said Buffy rolling her eyes before she looked at Willow who was acting a little more jumpy than usual, "you alright, Will? Have you been drinking Coffee, again? You know what that does to you, right?"

"umm.. yeah" said Willow as she looked around before looking at Buffy, "umm… you know you asked me to check on…"

"Hey Summers" said Ford as he walked up the stairs while Buffy discretely put her fingers to her lips before smiling at the young man, "listen, sorry about last night. I really wasn't feeling too well and well… I mean here I am."

"Hey Ford" said Willow in a squeaky voice while waving at the dark haired young man while Buffy and Xander glanced at each other. The both of them knew that Willow was this nervous ad her voice went high pitched, that meant that she had some information that she didn't know how to tell Buffy.. or Xander, "everything alright? Cool? High? You know.. yuppers?"

"Yuppers?" asked Xander as Willow looked back at Xander and grimaced while shrugging her shoulders.

"Nah" said Buffy shaking her head, "it's all cool. Glad you're doing better now though."

"Yeah" replied Ford while her was rubbing the back of his head while Buffy just looked at him, and Xander and Willow looking at each other. The two old friends then saw a familiar car drive into the adjacent parking lot, making the two of them smile while Buffy continued to talk to Ford; teh blonde Slayer's suspicions about the young man not far from her mind.

"There's Tara" said Willow as she and Xander waved their hands at the two women who locked the car doors before returning the wave. Buffy looked at them too, smiled and waved… but not before noticing the change in expression on Ford's face when he saw Tara. She noticed that expression of anger lasted just a few seconds before he smiled and waved as the young blonde woman walked up the stairs and said 'hi' to the small group.

"Hey, Mrs. C" said Xander as he gave an exaggerated bow.

"Oh my" said Sarah while Tara chuckled as her mother made a dramatic go of putting her hand on her chest and then waving her other hand to her face; it was as if she was fanning herself, "what a gentleman."

'Ummmm… what?" asked Xander as he leaned forward nervously while Tara, Buffy and Willow giggled, "I mean yes… I am a gentleman."

"You kids enjoy yourselves" said Sarah as she looked at the group and smiled, and tried to hold her smile when she got to Ford. Or at least the boy she thought was Ford from Tara's description of the young man. Sarah then looked at Tara before telling her that she better get o her interview, "and it's better for me not to be near my daughter… I know it's not cool for you kids to be seen next to an old lady like me."

"You're not old, Mrs. C" said Xander, "in fact, you and Tara could be twins."

"Don't push it, Xander" said Willow as she frowned at her best friend while Tara and Sarah looked at each other before raising their eyebrows at Xander.

"See" said the young man before both Sarah and Tara smirked. Sarah then told her daughter that it was time she went, and that she'd see her again soon.

"I'll let you know what happens, honey" said Sarah as she kissed Tara's cheek.

"Mrs. Collins" said Willow, "we'll be at the library for a little bit after school.. you could meet Giles and.. and he'll tell you that Tara's going to be safe and sound and…"

"I will" said Sarah giving Willow a smile, while at the same time still having the feeling of magic from the redhead brush against her own while thinking, 'she doesn't know, does she?'

"See you soon" said Tara as she held Sarah's, who turned to look at her daughter again, hand and then squeezed slightly. The older blonde kissing Tara's other cheek before heading into the school.. and wishing them good luck for the day.

It was a few seconds later that the bell rang with the students outside running back into the building to get to their class. Tara and the others walked into the school after the last few people ran in before they separated. Buffy and Tara had a class together, so the witch waited for Buffy who was talking to Ford. She saw that the young man was nodding his head before he patted Buffy's shoulder and walked a different direction than the class he was supposed to be in. Tara then saw Buffy frown after she turned around and walked towards her; the both of them then walking towards their class.

"I'm guessing that Willow found nothing" said Buffy softly as she looked back at Ford who turned a corner into a hallway, and then at Tara, "he said he has to go to the library and get some books before he meets us in the class."

"And the library's that way" said Tara as she pointed up a staircase while Buffy nodded her head.

"Yea" said Buffy softly.

"I'm sorry" said Tara as Buffy shook her head. Buffy told Tara that they'll meet in the library during lunch, that the witch had to meet Giles. Tara smiled while Buffy was telling her that Giles had all of these weird books about weird stuff; but those same books also saved her life many times. Tara then grimaced as she told Buffy that she already met Giles, but ran away from the library before the both of them could actually sit down and talk to each other, "I thought he was practising magic and… and… and Buffy, the truth is that I had someone in my life act… let's say badly towards me for touching their things and… and well, Mr. Giles didn't shout but he got curious about why I was interested in one of the books and I may have gotten the wrong idea and ran away. Yeah…. So that's what happened."

"No" chuckled Buffy as she looked at Tara, "he's a real teddy bear sometimes. He was just curious about why you were interested. I'm sure of it… and trust me when I say that there's not a lot of people interested in those old book. Actually now that I think about it… no one's interested in those old books."

Tara chuckled as she held her books to her chest while her backpack was slung over her shoulder. Then just before reaching the classroom door, Buffy gently grabbed a hold of Tara's arm and asked her who was it that tried to hurt her.

"Huh?" asked Tara.

"You said someone was bad towards you? Did they hurt you or.." said Buffy shaking her head, "who was it? Was it someone back home or…"

"Ummm" said Tara when she realized that she may have let something slip. She racked her brain before coming up with a story about a boyfriend who was trying to control her every move. Even tried to prevent her and Sarah from moving away from Colorado Springs. The blonde witch told Buffy with a smile that he was out of their lives… and while he was a reason for them moving to Sunnydale, the main reason was that Sarah had lost her previous job.

'Yea' thought Tara to herself as she look at Buffy who nodded her head, 'need to tell momma about this story.'

"Ummm.. Buffy?" said Tara, "please don't tell anyone? Not even Willow or Xander, I.. I don't want them to know. I mean…"

"Your secret's safe with me" said Buffy as she smiled and opened the door, "come on."

 **Sunnydale High Library, 3:30 p.m.**

It was after the last class of the day that Tara followed Buffy and the other Scoobies to the library. It was earlier that day at lunch that the blonde witch met with Sarah who told her that she was competing with four other people for the job, and that she'd find out later that day if she was hired or not. The older woman told Tara that she'd head back home before whispering into her ear that she already had the protective charm on her necklace, which made Tara instinctively reached for the small bag that was on her necklace but hidden under her shirt. Sarah then nodded at her daughter before telling her to be careful, and that she'll meet her in the library.

"There's something I need to talk to you about when we get home" said Sarah as she glanced at Willow who was talking to Buffy and Xander, before she looked at Tara again, "they're waiting for you, Tara. Go… I know it's not cool to hang around your old mother."

"Momma" said Tara as she lightly tapped her mother's arm before giving her a kiss on her cheek. She then waved at Sarah while stepping backwards before she turned and ran towards Willow and the others.

Sarah watched them walk into the cafeteria together when she noticed someone looking at her. Turning her head, she looked at a young man who was spying on her and Tara. She narrowed her eyebrows at the young man before she saw him lock his jaw in anger and turn away.

Knowing that she was safe from vampires during the day, Sarah turned and walked out of the school.. and into the bright sunshine while putting on her sunglasses.

Back in the present, Tara continued walking behind the people that Xander had unofficially branded the Scoobies while thinking about something else that her mother told her; that if she knew who sent the vampires, then she needed to tell Buffy since she was the Slayer. Tara had wanted to tell her during lunch, but guessed that the Scoobies rarely talked about such things in a crowd since they could be branded as insane if someone overheard that they were talking about vampires, and demons.

While various other thoughts were running through her head, it was a few minutes later that Tara found herself walking through the double doors, and into the Sunnydale High Library.

"Hey, Giles" said Buffy to the older man who was walking down the stairs with books in hand before he suddenly stopped at the bottommost step and looked at Tara, "you've already met Tara?"

"Ah, yes" said Giles nodding his head with a smile before he rushed over to the table and put the books dawn before eying the blonde while scratching the top of his head nervously, "umm… I realize you must have been frightened by the books I was…."

"No" said Tara shaking her head, "it was just a…. it was just me. Please, don't worry about it.. I should be the one apologizing for leaving the way I did."

"No apologies" said Giles as the others took their seats, with Xander sitting down next to Willow, while Tara sat next to Buffy who was telling the blonde witch that everything was alright while Giles continued to speak, "umm… about those books. I should let you know those are just for my personal collection, and it's not like I have a lot of information about the occult… umm… I'm actually writing a paper on…"

'Giles" said Buffy as she leaned forward on the desk while shaking her head.

"Tara knows that Buffy's the Slayer" said Xander while Giles straightened up in surprise while fixing his glasses.

"And… and you.. you're her Watcher" said Tara, "it.. it's amazing really."

"Ooh… Umm… Thank you?" said Giles before shaking his head and asked Buffy how her secret was discovered. Willow and Buffy, and Xander then told Giles about what happened at the bronze along with Tara's ability to read aura's, which Giles noticed caused her to blush while looking down at the table. Giles then turned to Tara and told her that he was impressed; he hadn't met many who could read aura's and having someone like that in Sunnydale High would be very useful in helping Buffy fight the darkness, "oh… I'm not assuming that you'd help.. I mean we're not forcing you to help by any means. You're welcome if you do decide and…"

"Yes" said Tara with a small smile.

"She's already helped me" said Buffy as she smiled at Tara before looking up at her Watcher, "she found something wrong with Ford."

"That friend you talked about?" asked Giles as he looked with concern at Buffy who nodded her head, "is there something wrong?"

Buffy then told Giles and the others what Tara told her last night; that Ford was lying about a lot of things, including attending Sunnydale High. She then went on to tell the shocked Giles, Willow and Xander about the possibility that Ford was dying from something. When Giles turned to Tara and asked how she knew, the blonde told him that she had seen black patches on his aura around his head.

"It's bad" said Tara before Buffy turned to Willow and asked her if she found anything.

"I know you did, Will" said Buffy just as Willow got a bit nervous, "you get nervous when you get bad news."

"Ummm" said Willow when she recalled Angel coming to her room the previous night after Sarah dropped her off. He asked Willow to run a check on Ford as well since he had a bad feeling about the young man; but Willow wasn't sure if she should be telling Buffy that Angel was jealous. Instead the redhead shook her head before leaning forward and telling Buffy that Tara was right, "he's got no record at the school. Nothing was transferred and.. and his name's not even in the rolls."

"Can you hack into his medical records?" asked Buffy looking at Willow, who nodded her head, "please. Do it, Will… I need to know what's going on with him. If he's not in Sunnydale for school then…"

"I'll check his medical records" said Willow as she headed for the computer behind the counter, and sat down.

While Willow began typing, Tara looked at Buffy and the others before telling them about what happened last night with the vampires.

"What?" asked Buffy as she looked at Tara after telling her that four vampires had come to her apartment to attack them, "why didn't you tell me? Tara, you could have…"

"We.. we didn't let them in" said Tara softly as she looked at a worried Buffy, Xander, and then at Willow who was looking back at the blonde witch, "we're alright.. really. My mom wanted me to tell you after school so…."

"Did they escape?" asked Giles as Tara looked up at the man and nodded her head.

"Yes, they escaped" said another voice as Tara turned around in her chair, smiled and then got up before rushing towards her mother and hugging her. She then stepped back and noticed the grin on Sarah's face.

"You got the job?" asked Tara.

"Uh huh" said Sarah as Tara hugged her tightly again, while the older woman waved at teh Scoobies. Tara then stepped back and pulled Sarah into the library and introduced her to Giles.

"Sarah Collins" the woman said as she shook Giles' hand.

"Rupert Giles."

"Buffy's Watcher?" asked Sarah as Giles nodded his head while Xander was telling teh Watcher that Sarah knew about the Hellmouth, slayers, and vampires and demons just as Willow stood up and looked at Buffy. She called to her best friend to come quick. Looking in concern, they watched Buffy run behind the counter before she came up behind Willow who pointed at the screen. Willow guided Buffy to her seat after she stood up, and gently pushed the blonde Slayer down while she read something on the screen in shock; at least that's what it looked like to the others standing behind the library counter.

"Buffy?" asked Giles when he noticed his Slayer trembling.

"Buff?" asked Xander as he stood up when he noticed the look of sadness on Willow's face.

"It's Fords medical report" said Buffy softly as she leaned back, "he's got tumours in his brain… it… it's terminal."

"Oh Buffy" said Giles as he took off his glasses, "I'm sorry."

"I… I don't understand" said Buffy as she stood up and walked out from behind the counter with Willow holding in to her, "why… why's he here? Why lie about this? About coming to this school? He.. He could have just told me."

"Buffy?" said Tara who looked at her mother, before looking at the blonde Slayer again, "the.. the vampires who came to our apartment. They.. they said that… umm.."

"That a kid told their boss about Tara being able to see aura's" said Sarah shaking her head, "that they'll take us to someone named Spike and…."

"Spike?" asked Buffy while Willow and Xander looked at each other, and Giles looked at Sarah and Tara in worry, "are you sure he said Spike?"

"Yea" said Tara.

"He's dying" said Giles while he rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Ford's dying and…."

"He wouldn't" said Buffy, "he wouldn't and…"

"How did the vampires know that Tara could read aura's?" asked Xander.

"I didn't tell him" said Buffy as she looked at the others before looking at Tara who was holding on tight to Sarah, "Tara, I swear I didn't tell him anything. All I asked him if he was feeling ok since he looked tired and… and that's it. I swear."

"I believe you" said Tara, "maybe… maybe he knew he was dying and tried different things… even heard something the lies about auric healing and maybe he thought… I mean… maybe that's how he guessed that I could read aura's. I'm the new girl and you asked him questions about his health after I came into the picture. He may have guessed that I could read aura's and…"

"There was a staff meeting this afternoon about a break-in at the admissions office" said Giles, "but nothing was missing."

"Tara's address" replied Willow and Xander together while Giles nodded her head.

"They must have found our address from the break in" said Sarah.

"I'd like the both of you to stay with one of us until we've solved this problem and…"

"We'll be moving to another apartment after the month's over" said Sarah, "in the meantime, our apartment's still blocked from vampires coming in… and as long as we don't spend too much time out at night; we'll be fine."

"If he knows about Buffy" said Xander, "is it that much of a stretch to imagine him cozying up to Spike? Maybe he knew about Spike somehow and…"

"He's her friend, Xander" said Willow, "why would anyone want to even think about hanging out with Spike?"

"Hey Summers" said a familiar voice as everyone looked at the doors opening, and Ford walking into the library with his hands in his pockets, "thought you'd be here. Can we talk? I wanted to apologize for skipping our class and…"

"You don't go to school here, Ford" said Buffy as she walked toward the young man who gave a little sigh, "no more lies. I know everything, Ford. I know that… that you're dying. I know that.. that you told vampires about…"

"Tara?" asked Ford as he glanced at the blonde witch, "yea… Spike said that his vampires never came back. Thought that maybe they took off with Tara, or maybe killed her against his orders and ran away. But there she is… still alive and.. and not dead."

"What did you do?" asked Buffy as she grabbed Ford by his collar and pushed him against the book cage, before lifting him up effortlessly, "Ford, what did you do?"

"Buffy" said Giles, "let him go."

"Buff" Willow said as she put her hand on the blonde Slayer's shoulder, "I know you're hurt but…."

"You gonna kill me, Summers?" asked Ford as he looked at the sadness in Buffy's eyes and smiled, "you already know I'm dying. And you're the Slayer… you won't kill a human being."

"Leave this place" said Giles while Sarah stayed in front of Tara, protecting her, "leave Sunnydale, and never return. I am terribly sorry about what you're going through but… but…."

"You're sorry?" laughed Ford, "you're sorry? I can feel my brain melting from the tumours. I tried everything; from auric healing, to magic. Nothing worked. Magic worked for a few days but the tumours came back with a vengeance… then I remembered that Buffy here… my sweet, sweet, 'following me around like a puppy dog' Buffy, is the Slayer."

At Ford's insult, tears fell down Buffy's face as she let the young man go before stepping a few steps back. Buffy felt Willow and Xander pulling her back while she imagined all the times that she pined for the young man standing in front of her.

"Aw.." said Ford while he straightened his collar while looking at the tears streaming down Buffy's face, "sorry, Summers; but I knew as the Slayer you'd probably have some big bad wanting to kill you. So I hid back once I reached Sunnydale. I asked around and found out about Spike and…"

"You made a deal?" asked Xander.

"Oh give the genius there a prize" said Ford sarcastically as he clapped in Xander's direction before looking at Buffy, "he's going to give me eternal life, in exchange for you."

"Get out" said Buffy as she rolled her hands into fists, "you have no idea what you're doing, Ford. Vampires aren't like the movies and…"

"I know exactly what they are" said Ford as he walked towards the double doors while the others just looked at him helplessly, "I'll live forever as a demon; not the perfect choice I know… but I'll be immortal."

"It won't be you" said Giles shaking his head, "the demon with take your body, and you… I mean the you now.. here.. will die."

"I. Don't. Care" said Ford as he looked at Giles, and then at Buffy, "I promised you to Spike. He wants to fight you so bad it's not even funny. And you will fight him, or… or I tell him that Tara's alive. And he'll come himself with that crazy company he keeps to kill her. So Summers, you're gonna fight him.. while I become immortal."

"Ford" said Buffy, "don't…."

"You fight him" said Ford, "or else Tara dies, Xander, and Willow will die… and hundreds more will die. Up to you, Summers. Either way… whether you die or you kill Spike; My part in the deal's done and I get turned. I live forever."

"Ford" said Buffy.

"Nine at the Cowenwood Cemetary" said Ford, "see you around, Summers. Oh.. before I go… just so you know? Spike's already killed two Slayers… so, good luck."

"Buffy?" said Giles as they watched Ford walk out of the library while whistling.

"This is gonna be a problem" said Xander while the others looked at him; with only Buffy looking at the double doors that Ford just walked out through.

TBC.


	8. Chapter 8

**Sunnydale High Library, 3:45 pm.**

With Ford having shown who he truly was to Buffy, Tara, and the others, the blonde Slayer felt a pain in her chest as she remembered the young man she knew in Hemery all those years ago. Now, shaking her head, Buffy turned back and looked at the others while Sarah walked over to the counter and sighed. Buffy then looked at Giles, telling him to take everyone to her house while she went to find Angel and tell him what was going on. At the same time, Tara walked up to Sarah and stood next to her before the older blonde asked if she knew who Angel was.

"He's the reason I had a freak out last night," said Tara as she looked sheepishly at her mother, "he's a vampire that has a soul and.. well, I thought he was a regular vampire who was going to bite Buffy, and I pulled her out of there."

Buffy, who overheard what Tara told Sarah looked at them and shrugged before telling Sarah, "Tara thought I was in danger, Mrs. Collins. If it wasn't Angel, then she'd have saved my life. I mean I'd still kill the vamp, but Tara's heads-up would mean that I get hit a lot less than the other guy. I mean, she'd just say 'hey look, vamp' and I'd be like, 'die vamp, die'."

Everyone just looked at Buffy as she pretended to stake a vampire before she grinned and then stopped what she was doing. She then told Tara, Willow, and Xander that she'll take care of Spike; while Angel takes care of Drusilla, Ford, and their minions.

"Buffy," asked Willow as Buffy looked at the redhead, "what if Ford's already been turned?"

"Then Angel will dust him," said Buffy before looking at everyone else, "Xander, Willow, take Tara and Mrs. Collins back to my house. Giles go with them, I'll talk to Angel and come up with a plan, and then I'll come home. If mom asks... well, you can come up with something."

"Do be careful," said Giles as Buffy nodded her head as Xander put an arm around Tara's shoulders while they walked out of the library, the young blonde witch looking with an eyebrow raised at Xander who was talking about the history of Sunnydale as they walked out of the library.

"Tara, Xander...," said Sarah as the both of them stopped and turned back, "Willow.. you too, get to my car and wait there. I'll drive us up to Buffy's house."

"We'll be there, momma" said Tara as she and Xander turned again while Xander continued telling her the story about old Sunnydale. When the doors to the library closed, Sarah sensed a great deal of jealousy from her right side. She glanced at Willow who walked past her with Buffy by her side mumbling about why Xander wouldn't put his arms around her like he was doing with Tara.

Sarah lightly chuckled when Willow stopped walking and turned around, her face beet red when she realized that she was speaking out loud without thinking. She looked at Sarah who was covering the smile on her lips with her hand while Willow looked at her with her mouth wide open, and leaned in sideways to the blonde Slayer next to her who was trying not to laugh at her best friend's reaction.

"Did I say that out loud?" Willow asked.

"Yea, Will," said Buffy while Willow had a look that said 'let the ground swallow me and never spit me out' before she looked at Sarah again. Willow then took a step and apologized to Sarah.

"You're fine," chuckled Sarah as she put her hand gently on Willow's shoulder and looked at her aura when she was thinking about Xander, "you have a crush on Xander, don't you."

"Huh?" asked Willow as Sarah saw her aura spike, "I.. I.."

"You know," said Sarah, "he's still a boy, and it takes time for them to see the one that they want is right in front of them. And maybe, you.. and yes, I mean you, Willow... you'll find a guy who's not Xander. And then the new guy will make you forget the crushy feelings you have for him."

It was just then that the double doors to the library opened again and two young men walked in, one of whom had light orange hair and was wearing a simple T-shirt with the words 'Dingo's' written on it, and the other young man was a little bit shorter than the other boy and he was holding on to a file in his hand.

"Hey Jonathan" said Willow as the shorter boy nodded his head at the redhead before calling out to Giles and telling that they were looking for a few books. Once Giles had told them where they were located on the book stacks on the second level, the two young men walked past Willow and Buffy; and it was then that Sarah saw the look that Willow and the orange haired young man shared just for an instant before she smiled at him, and then looked away nervously. Sarah then gave a small smile when she noticed that the young man was still looking at the redhead for a few more seconds before mumbling under his breath as he climbed the stairs.

Unknown to the young man, Sarah, and to the redhead, or Giles, Buffy had head exactly what the orange haired young man said as he walked up the stairs,

"Will," said Buffy excitedly as she held on to both of the redhead's hands, "conference, you and me, now."

"But-," said Willow.

"Now, Will," said Buffy as she excitedly pulled Willow towards the door while telling Sarah that they'll meet her at her car in ten minutes, that she had something important to tell Willow in private... that it was a girl thing.

"In case you don't know" said Sarah as she put her hands on her hips and frowned, "I am a girl."

"We know, Mrs. Collins," said Buffy as she pulled Willow out of the library, "see ya soon."

"Uh huh," said Sarah as she smiled before turning to Giles who was walking past her and into his office, "meaning I'm old."

"Don't pay any attention to them," said Giles as he walked back behind the counter as the two young men walked back down the stairs and then placed three books on the counter for him to scan into the computer. Giles told Sarah that he's found that Willow and Buffy have their own secrets which even he's not privy to, "usually it's about some boy band, or Leo this.. Leo that... I swear sometimes..."

"I guess kids will be kids" said Sarah as Giles finished scanning the books and then handed them to the two young men. The two adults then saw them leave, with the orange haired young man looking around the library before leaving out the door.

"Mr. Giles" said Sarah as she walked away from the library counter while Giles went on to lock his office.

"Please, call me Rupert."

"Call me Sarah then, Rupert," she replied as she looked at the closing double doors after the two young men walked through, "what can you tell me about Willow?"

"Perhaps that would be best if you asked her?" asked Giles as he walked around the counter.

"You've known her far longer than me, and...," said Sarah as she closed her eyes when she felt magic brushing against her skin when Giles walked past her real closely to walk over to the middle table. The older blonde witch then opened her eyes again and looked back at Giles who picked up some books before he put them in the book cage, and then Sarah spoke again, "and you've used magic, a very long time ago."

"How did you know that?" asked Giles as he narrowed his eyebrows at the blonde while locking up the book cage, "you can sense magic and... you're a witch, aren't you."

"Does it matter?" asked Sarah as she sighed while Giles walked back up to her, "I'm not like the witch that you and Buffy defeated. I'm actually worried about Willow."

"Willow?" asked Giles in surprise, "why Willow? As far as I know, she hasn't been involved with magic, or used any spells. I mean she helps me research at times and..."

"I can see that you care for Buffy, Willow, and Xander, Rupert" said Sarah, "but I can tell you that I fear for Willow. I've sensed her potential, the magic just coming off her and luckily very few people can feel what I feel. My guess is that she's researching on her own, while helping you research."

"I -," said Giles as Sarah interrupted him again.

"Like I said, you treat these kids as your own," said Sarah, "I admire that... but it also means that you need to know what's going on. Right now, you need to talk to Willow. If she wants to learn, I can give you the names of a few good witches I knew before I got married. If she doesn't want to learn magic, push her towards something that she's really good at. I bet you know that magic's not a game. Rupert, if you know magic like I do..."

"It's addictive" said Giles as he rolled up his sleeves and showed her a tattoo, a tattoo that made Sarah look at the man in horror, and then look at the tattoo again, and then back up to Giles as he sheepishly rolled back his sleeve after noticing the frown on the woman's face, "believe me. I know the temptation. I made mistakes, and in my folly I..."

"Called on Eyghon" said Sarah shaking her head in disbelief.

"I'm not proud of what I've done," said Giles as Sarah looked at him with her hands on her hips, "but if you're right about Willow, then..."

"It's not an if, Rupert," said Sarah, "she's got the potential to be very powerful; but all that power, if left untrained and... and we're over a hellmouth. I've sense the energies around this place. If she's not careful, it could corrupt her... if her emotions get in the way of her control, I think she could possibly destroy this planet."

"She's that powerful?" asked Giles as he sat down in surprise.

"Potentially" said Sarah, "talk to her Rupert, make her see her choices and.."

"Can you train her?" asked Giles as he looked at Sarah who shook her head, "but... why?"

"I'm paying penance for something I did," said Sarah, "and I'm asking you not to ask me anymore on this."

"Very well," said Giles nodding his head, "I'll talk to Willow about this soon, but… but I'd like for you to be there as well. Despite what you may feel about my magic use… I stopped after the whole mess with Eyghon. I joined the Watcher's Council after Oxford and I've done my best to be.. well, me."

"I know you're telling the truth" said Sarah as she and Giles walked out of the library together, "and I'll be there when you talk to Willow. But you're the one who needs to tell her… this isn't a game, Rupert."

"I know," replied Giles nodding his head as they walked through the empty hallways in the school.

 **Later that night, Creek Apartments**.

It was decided at the last minute that instead of going over to Buffy's house, that the group head over to Sarah and Tara's apartment. Sarah told Buffy that she had a first aid kit at home, in case she's injured in the fight with Spike, "and I'm pretty sure your mom doesn't want you to come home bleeding, so after you're done seeing this Angel person.. I want you to go home, and be with your mother. After you're fight, come to my apartment I can give you a once over. Is that clear, young lady?"

"Uh huh" said Buffy as she just looked at Sarah who then gave the young Slayer their address, and the blonde Slayer then looked at Giles who nodded his head before she smiled and then ran out of the school grounds to see Angel underneath Willie's bar. As Sarah watched Buffy run off, she turned to Tara and nodded towards the car, before telling the others to get in as well. Giles told Sarah that he'll drive his own car, and follow Sarah. The woman nodded her head before getting into the car while Willow and Xander sat in the backseat, where Sarah noticed Willow was trying to hide a smile as she looked at Buffy who turned into a corner and disappeared from view.

The small group had spent some time watching TV at Sarah and Tara's apartment when, at around ten in the evening, there was someone pounding on the door. The group looked at each other and then Willow and Xander reached into their bags and took out crosses and holy water while Sarah looked at Tara, who then nodded her head before Sarah got up and sighed.. telling the others to put down the crosses and the water. After the incident with the vampires, Sarah and Tara would always check the aura of whoever was at the other side of the door. This time Sarah took a closer look at the aura as she walked towards the door, and then stopped and looked at a stunned Tara who got up quickly.

"Get the kit!" shouted Sarah as Tara got up quickly and ran into the kitchen here the first aid kit was kept under the sink, as well as some gauze and bandages. In the meantime, Sarah opened the door while calling for Xander to help her, and for Willow to help Tara take out some items.

Upon opening the door, Sarah saw a badly beaten Buffy… her shirt cut, and blood stains on her shirt, along with some cuts on her face, as well as some bruises on her arms.

"Buffy" said Sarah as the young Slayer fell forward into her arms; she then looked over her shoulders and asked Xander to carry Buffy's feet while she carried her torso. They laid her down on the dining table while Buffy kept on mumbling that it was a tie.

"Buff" said Willow as she stepped back while watching Sarah work with Tara and Xander standing next to her.

"Xander" said Sarah as she put on a pair of gloves on her hands before looking up at the young man, "I need you to get into my room, and stay there until I tell you to come out."

"But, I…,"said Xander when Sarah looked up at him, her eyes telling him not to say another word and just do as she says.

"Look, I have to unbutton her blouse to check for other injuries" said Sarah, "now, what do you think Buffy's gonna say when I tell her that you peeked?"

"Xand," said Willow as she looked at her best friend who was looking at Buffy's chest with his mouth wide open, "Xand, she's gonna kill you."

"Right" said Xander as he quickly turned around and headed into Sarah's room.

"And shut the door!" shouted Sarah as Xander sheepishly closed the door and just quietly sat on Sarah's bed, and sighed.

"Tara?" said Sarah as she cut off Buffy's blouse, "get one of your shirts for Buffy, would you?"

"Yea" said Tara as Sarah spread the cut blouse, leaving Buffy only in her jeans and a blue coloured bra. Sarah then looked at Willow and asked her to hold Buffy's hand while she checked for injuries, "use the gloves."

Sarah brushed her fingers along the Slayer's body and looked at the fresh cuts above her collar bone, on her abdomen, then she rolled the Slayer over slightly and saw scratches on her back. Sarah then checked for any cuts on her legs by running her fingers over Buffy's jeans. Satisfied that there was nothing else, she then walked up to where Buffy's head was.

The older blonde then leaned forward and asked Buffy if she could hear her.

"Yea," said Buffy in a whispered voice as she opened her eyes and then closed them, "I feel cold, I…. dying?"

"Had to cut your shirt, sorry" said Sarah as Buffy opened her eyes and smiled.

"Let me guess, Xander got a look?"

"Nope" said Willow, "Mrs. Collins gave him a time out in her room."

"Nice," said Buffy as she closed her eyes, which brought up Willow's face in concern.

"She's alright" said Sarah as she felt for a pulse and nodded her head before asking Tara to call Giles, and then tell him to get to the apartment on the double. While Tara went to make the call, Sarah looked up at Willow and told her that she was going to help her clean Buffy's wounds, and then stitch them shut.

"But..," said Willow, "I…"

"I know it looks scary," said Sarah as she took out some alcohol, "but this is something you guys need to learn if you want to continue helping Buffy. Or let's say you're injured, then you can fix yourself up until you get to a doctor, I know Buffy has better healing than all of us… but if she's really badly injured; she'll need you and Xander, and Tara. And Tara I've been teaching to do this since she was…"

"Eight," said Tara as she put the phone down next to her shirt that Buffy would wear later on. Tara remembered what Sarah taught her on what to do when she saw the older blonde lying on the floor of their home crying after being punished by her father. As Tara walked up to Sarah who was starting to do what she needed to do while Willow grimaced and watched, the young blonde remembered the cuts on Sarah's upper arms, shoulders, back, and legs she had to help sew tight.

Shaking her head off those memories, Tara helped Sarah while Willow watched. It was forty minutes later that Sarah declared all of Buffy's wounds closed, including cleaning the cuts on her back, and that all she needed now was some rest. Sara then cleaned the wounds again before she nodded at Tara who rushed to her shirt, picked it up and then brought it back while Sarah and Willow lifted the top of Buffy's body. Tara then slipped Buffy's hands into the sleeves, all the while she was glancing at Willow who was looking worried at her best friend.

"She'll be alright" said Tara as she slipped Buffy's other hand through a sleeve, and then buttoned up her shirt. It was five minutes after calling Giles that the older watcher arrived at the apartment in worry, only to see Sarah and Tara blocking his view of his Slayer. Giles insisted on making sure that his Slayer was safe, but quietened down when Willow told him that Buffy was half naked. Giles then suddenly found the walls very interesting as Willow spirited him away to Sarah's room where he had been spending the time with Xander.

Once Sarah was pleased that it was over, she asked Willow to let the boys out of the room.

Smiling, Willow rushed to Sarah's room and opened the door, telling Giles and Xander that everything was alright. The two men walked out as Sarah told them the injuries that Buffy had on her, and that she needed to stay here so that she could check her wounds periodically.

"Until they heal," said Sarah.

"They usually heal in three hours," said Giles as Sarah nodded her head, "did she say what happened?"

"All she said was that it was a tie" said Willow as she scratched her head.

"I'll call her mother" said Sarah, "I'll tell her that she was studying with Xander, Willow, and Tara.. and they lost track of time. Since it's getting late, she can sleep here if she feels it's alright. But we'll need to wait until she wakes up before she can tell us what happened."

"That's true" said Giles as he and Xander lifted Buffy's body from the table, while Tara told them to take her in her room.

'I hope nothing's gone too wrong.' thought Sarah to herself as she looked at Buffy being taken to Tara's room, before she sighed.

Now all they could do was wait, and hope that at least Ford was taken out of the picture while Sarah picked up the phone and dialed Buffy's home.

TBC.


	9. Chapter 9

**Spike's Factory, 9:10 p.m.**

Angel had taken out the two vampires who were standing guard at the entrance to the factory that Spike and Drusilla was using as their headquarters. The ensouled vampire found it a few days ago after he followed one of Spike's minions, but he and Buffy were unable to do much due to the high number of vampires that either lived inside, or were regularly coming and going. However, this time things were different.. there were only two vampires guarding the entrance, and as he sneaked inside to the factory floor and immediately hid behind some machines, he noticed that the ten or so vampires who'd be here were all gone. He couldn't hear footsteps anywhere, just two voices from another end of the factory; that of a male and a woman.. a very familiar woman.

The voice of the woman that Angel had turned when he was simply known as Angelus; Drusilla.

As Angel carefully made his way towards the two voices, he recalled the conversation he had with Buffy earlier that day. They met at Willie's Bar, or at least behind Willie's bar… he recalled kissing the blonde Slayer upon first meeting her before they got down to business while the vampire was standing underneath the shade away from the sunlight. Buffy told him about Ford, and Spike's challenge to her… that he wanted to fight her; that if she didn't then he'd most likely kill innocent people and she nor Angel would know where he'd strike next.

"You can't fight him on your own," said Angel as he took a step towards his love, "he's dangerous and…."

"I can so take him," smiled Buffy.

"Buffy," said Angel not returning her smile, instead his face became even more serious than usual, "Spike's nothing to joke about; he's already killed two Slayers. He's strong, he's angry, and… and he's dangerous. Listen to me, he won't be alone… I know him. He'll have back-up with him. Tell me take care of him, and…"

"I'll be fine," said Buffy as she walked forward, looked up, and then wrapped her arms behind the vampire's neck before kissing him. She then broke the kiss and said that he needed to make sure that Drusilla and Spike's minions didn't do anything stupid; especially with Ford, "knock him out if you can, and then take him out of Sunnydale? Please?"

Angel could, just for an instant, see the hurt in Buffy's eyes as she talked about getting Ford out of Sunnydale. He could tell that she was feeling betrayed by the young man as he caressed Buffy's cheek and told her that he'll take care of it.

"What if he's already been turned?" asked Angel.

"Then I'll kill him when he rises," said Buffy, her face showing her resolve.

As Angel quietly made his way to the voices back in the factory, he then recalled talking to Buffy about Tara, or as he called her… the blonde who he felt magic was coming off her. Buffy chuckled when Angel called Tara that before she told him her name, and that she read aura's. Buffy told Angel that Tara was freaked out by Angel's aura, especially since she could also see his soul.

"She can see my soul?" asked Angel as Buffy nodded her head. Angel then shook his head before telling Buffy that he felt something else from Tara, that he felt magic from her when she was panicked. He then told the Slayer to be careful. Smiling at how concerned Angel was being, Buffy then told the vampire that it was Tara who told her about Ford and his lies.

"But we didn't realize what he was going through, until now," said Buffy.

"He just wants to survive," said Angel, "but his method of trying to survive is suicide."

"I know," replied Buffy, "so when you find him, just get him out of the city… knock him out and get him out of here?"

"I will," said Angel.

"I'll take care of Spike, you take care of Drusilla and Ford," said Buffy as Angel nodded.

'Where are the others,' thought Angel to himself as he hid behind a machine and peeked out the side at Drusilla kissing the neck of a young man, 'that's Ford.'

"Dru," said Angel as he got out of hiding with his hands in his pockets, Drusilla and Ford looking at him with the younger man standing behind the calm exterior of the woman Angel knew was insane.

"Angel," said Dru with a small smile on her face, "daddy."

"The vampire with a soul," replied Ford as he looked at Angel with a smirk on his face, "you're too late."

"Buffy can handle some minions and Spike," said Angel as he glared at Drusilla before looking at Ford, "you have a choice.. live what remains of your life. Being a vampire is… isn't what you think it is."

"I told Buffy I know exactly what it is," said Ford as he stepped behind Drusilla and wrapped his arms around her waist, "and I don't care."

Angel watched as Ford pulled Drusillla back towards him while the mad vampire looked over her shoulder and kissed Ford's jaw line before going for his neck.

"I'll stop you right here and…" said Angel when Drusilla looked at him and vamped out, snarling; as did Angel, "stop it, Dru."

"No," said Ford as Drusilla looked back at Ford's neck before starting to kiss it, "where do you think the other vampire's are? Before you give me some stupid answer, I'll tell you. Four went with Spike to meet Buffy… and if I know Buffy, and I do.. really, really well… then she already dusted three of those vamps. She won't break a sweat after dusting the fourth one, but it gives Spike a chance to see up close again what Buffy can do; then he'll have his fun."

"Buffy can handle him," said Angel as he stepped forward, but Drusilla was still kissing Ford's neck without a worry in the world. She then stopped what she was doing and looked at Angel while putting a hand up to caress Ford's face.

"I already have my dark prince," said Drusilla as she looked at Angel, who knew that the mad vampire was referring to Spike, "and now I'll have a son."

"Ummm," said Ford as he lay his face on the side of Drusilla's head.

"And all he needs now," said Drusilla looking at Angel, "is a daddy. Come with us, Angel… we can be a family again."

"No," said Angel as he took a few more steps towards Drusilla and Ford.

"I never finished my answer," said Ford with a grin on his face, "the other vampires are on the way to the Sunset Club; over a hundred vampire wannabes that think that we're all such romantic creatures of the night. A little over a hundred for the minions to feed on, and once Spike kills Buffy… he'll bring her head to the club where he'll drink to his victory.. we'll drink his victory."

"You're insane," said Angel as he looked at the grinning Ford.

"I'm a genius," said Ford, "what are you going to do? Save me from Dru here by having a long extended fight? Or will you save the hundreds of innocents at the Sunset Club who may start dying at any time. Oh, the club? It's about ten minutes from here and Spike's minions already have a head start on you. A few will die.. but are you gonna let everyone die?"

Angel knew that the young man was right. Angel told Ford that he was making a mistake, and that Buffy would be there where he'll rise as a vampire.

"You'll be dust," said Angel as he turned and ran as fast as he could towards the Sunset Club. He could fight Dru right here, and right now.. he knew he was slightly stronger than the female vampire but fighting her, then knocking out Ford would take too long; he knew that more lives were in danger.

Angel appeared at the Sunset Club, a former bomb shelter that was converted into a night club, that had a door that could only be opened from the outside. He rushed in after keeping the door forced open to screams of terror; he was already too late. The ensouled vampire jumped into the throngs of people, shouting as loud as he could for them to rush out the front door.

"Move it!" he screamed while running down a gangway towards a screaming young woman who was being bit by a vampire. He pulled her away, before he punched the vampire hard enough for him to go over the railing and then fall to the floor below. Angel then looked at the blonde female and told her to get out.

"Th… thank you," said the young woman who ran out of the club, along with the other panicked patrons. Angel then jumped down to the main floor and then started attacking the vampires; pulling them off the innocents they were biting down on before smashing some of the wooden furniture and using the sharp edges of the broken wood to dust them. All in all, he dusted all six vampires relatively easily… but as he looked around.. he shook his head upon seeing twenty dead bodies laying on the floor. He then walked up the stairs and then saw another five bodies that lay on the upper level walkways that surrounded the lower level.

Sighing at the death of all the humans, he called the police from a phone in the club and left an anonymous tip about a gang fight before he walked out of the Sunset Club.

He then ran to the factory again and found that it was empty; there was no sign of Drusilla or Ford. Shaking his head, the vampire then rushed all the way to the cemetery where he smelled blood. He recognized the scent as being from Buffy, so he ran as fast as he could until he reached broken headstones, and a partially collapsed mausoleum. He walked around and noticed piles of ash in many places, along with blood smeared on some of the broken headstones… Buffy's blood. It was then he noticed a body under a tree… fearing that he was too late and that Spike killed Buffy; Angel ran towards the tree, only to find that the body was that of Ford.

Angel looked at the young man, and then he looked up and around his surroundings trying to catch Buffy's scent, or the scent of Spike and Drusilla. Shaking his head when he found a lingering scent from the insane vampire and Spike, Angel knew that they were already long gone. Angel then looked back down at Ford's body before he looked up and around him again. He then ran towards a small building in the distance that he knew belonged to the graveyard's caretaker. He broke the lock on the door before opening it and then taking out a shovel. He then dug a hole near the tree and put Ford's dead body inside it. The vampire then brought up the blade of the shovel and aimed it over Ford's neck, and then he pushed it down.

 **Creek Apartments, 11:00 p.m.**

Angel had looked for Buffy at her house by sneaking up to her room without Joyce, who was sitting in the living room downstairs none the wiser. He then remembered what Buffy told him, that if she wasn't at home after the fight.. then she'd be at Tara's apartment where her mother would be examining her for any injuries. Angel had told Buffy that it was a good idea, and that he'll check to see if she was in her room first since he knew that she was stubborn and wouldn't immediately go to see someone else unless it was really bad. Now Angel feared the worst, that he was right and Buffy must have been injured really badly.. badly enough to throw her pride away and go immediately to Tara's apartment. Just as he was about to leave, the phone downstairs rang and Angel, feeling that it was going to be an important call, opened the Slayer's room door slightly to overhear Joyce talking to Sarah who told the blonde that Buffy was staying at her home since she and the kids had been studying the whole night.

"Yes, of course it'll be alright if she stays. Thank you for letting me know… yes.. yes, I'd like to meet sometime…" said Joyce as Angel gently closed Buffy's door and slipped out of her window, and then ran all the way to the address that Buffy had given to him. Once he reached the apartment complex, Angel searched for Sarah's apartment number; and then immediately he smelled fresh blood as he looked down and noticed blood drops. The vampire then knocked on the door, hoping that the love of his life was going to be alright… he hoped that she was still alive.

He stepped back when he heard Giles' voice telling someone that there was a knock at the door.

Back inside the house, Tara was in the kitchen preparing some hot chocolate for Willow and the others while they were putting Buffy's bloodied clothes into a bag which would be later incinerated. Tara told Sarah, who was in Tara's room checking Buffy's bandages again after having called Joyce, that she'll open the door. Once Tara looked at the door after coming out of the kitchen, she gave a little yelp before she took a few steps back in surprise.

"Tara?" asked Willow as she and Xander looked up from picking up some of the bloodied bandages and putting them in a bag, "are you…"

"I.. I think it's… it's that vampire with a soul," said Tara as she looked at the door, "I see darkness and a ball of light and…"

"Angel," said Xander as he rolled his eyes upwards before he went back to picking up more bandages with some gloves on, while Willow stood up and told Tara that it was alright. That Angel was one of the good guys.

"He won't harm us," said Willow while Giles chipped in and said that Angel had been helping them fight the evil that was attracted by the energy given off by the Hellmouth.

Tara then took in a deep breath before she reached out, turned the door knob and smiled nervously at the tall ensouled vampire that was looking back at her with concern etched deeply into his face.

"Hi," said Tara as Angel nodded at her, and then at Giles, while Willow waved at him before she walked over to the door.

"Buffy?" Angel asked.

"She's alright," said Willow, "Mrs. Collins bandaged her up and everything, and…"

"Tara?" asked Sarah as she closed Tara's room door before turning around and then gasping at the sight of Angel's dark aura, "Tara, get away from that, I…"

"Sarah," said Giles as he stood in front of Angel while Tara stepped to one side and then rushed to her mother who was walking towards them, "Angel's an ally."

"He's the vampire with a soul that I told you about," said Tara as she looked at her mother, who closed her eyes and then looked at Angel and concentrated hard. Eventually, she could see Angel's soul as well… she could see the white ball of light that was lying among the surrounding darkness in his aura, "see?"

"Yea," said Sarah as she walked towards Angel, the feeling of magic from the vampire etching against her skin; she could sense there was something wrong.. something hidden behind the soul. Sarah shook her head before she walked up to the door and stood next to Giles who introduced Angel to Sarah, and Sarah to Angel.

"Angel, did you find Ford?" asked Willow as Xander tied up the bag that contained all the bloody bandages, and the gloves, and put it to one side before walking up and then standing next to Willow.

"Yea," said Angel, "there was a complication."

"What complication?" asked Giles as he fixed his glasses. Angel then told them about what Ford and Dru had planned if anyone came after them. Angel told the group that Dru and Ford, knew that while Buffy would be going after Spike and the minions, they sent more of his minions to the Sunset Club as a contingency plan.

"Oh dear Lord," said Giles shaking his head.

"I had to let them go," said Angel, "I ran as fast as I could to the club; the door was locked from the outside and I opened it from the outside, then jammed it open, went in and told everyone to get out. Then I dusted all of the vampires, but there's about twenty five bodies there. The Vampires started feeding before I got there."

"If you didn't go, then everyone could have died," said Sarah as Angel nodded his head.

"I went back to the factory, and Dru and Ford were gone," said Angel, "then I went to the cemetery and… and I saw the broken headstones, Buffy's blood, and Ford's body."

"Drained of blood?" asked Giles as Angel nodded his head.

"I buried him," said Angel, "took care of him before I did that though."

"You took care of…. Oh," said Willow with her eyes wide open as Giles nodded his head.

"Mrs. Collins," said Angel as he looked at Sarah, "I just want to make sure that Buffy's alright, may I come in and see her."

"Angel," said Sarah, "I'm sorry, but I'm not letting you into this home."

Everyone looked at Sarah in surprise, everyone except for Xander who released a small snigger that made Willow looked back at him and frown, before she looked at Sarah and told her about how much Angel and Buffy loved each other, that their story was like a fairy tale that'll live on forever.

"He has done a lot to help us, Sarah," said Giles as he fixed his glasses, "and…"

"Even so," said Sarah as Tara held on to her hand, slowly squeezing it.. silently telling her mother that Angel seemed fine.. that he really had a soul and he wouldn't harm them. Sarah then looked at Tara and smiled before telling her that she was doing this for her safety, not for anything else. Sarah then looked at Angel who had a downcast look on his face, "when we're at home, Angel; it's supposed to our defence against vampires. No vampire can come inside without permission; and.. and even though you have a soul, I still can't give you permission to enter this home for the sake of me, and my daughter."

"But Angel has a soul," said Willow, "he won't harm anyone, and…"

"No," said Angel as he shook his head at Willow, and then looked at Sarah, "you're right to be concerned. I can respect that… just, just please tell me if Buffy's alright?"

"She had bruises, cuts, scratches on her face and body," said Sarah, "I've sewn and bandaged every injury; from what Rupert tells me, the bruises will vanish soon, and the cuts will heal in a few hours. She's exhausted; but alive."

"Thank you," said Angel as he nodded at Sarah before he prepared to turn and walk away when Sarah spoke again.

"Who was it that gave you back your soul, Angel?" asked Sarah as Angel turned and looked at her again.

"I did a lot of bad things when I was a demon," said Angel, "and I killed this gypsy clan's, they called themselves the Kalderesh, favourite daughter. So I wouldn't say that they gave me back my soul. More like cursed me with it.. I remember all the evil I did, and… and I'm doing everything I can to atone for those sins."

"What's the terms of the curse?" asked Sarah as Angel looked at her confused, "if it's a curse, that implies it can be lifted. What're the terms that'll lift the curse?"

"I… I'm not sure," said Angel as he looked at Giles who shrugged his shoulders, unsure of how to answer that particular question since it was one he had never thought about.

"It's pretty obvious you love Buffy," said Sarah as she sighed while rubbing her forehead, "there's a window in the room that we let Buffy sleep in, you can take a look at her. There's a ledge there too so you could stay there if you want until sunrise.. or before sunrise, as long as you're not inside this home."

"Thank you," said Angel as he looked at Tara, who then pointed him towards the room before he turned and ran.

Sarah asked Tara to stay at the window until Angel got there, with Willow volunteering to keep her company until Angel reaches the window. Sarah noticed the slight blush on Tara's cheeks as she walked with Willow to her room before she went to the phone in the living room and picked it up, and then dialled a number.

Giles and Xander looked on as Sarah told them that she'll explain everything once she's talked to whoever from the other end of the phone line interrupted their conversation.

"HI, Miss Harkness?" said Sarah as she spoke to an elderly lady who was on the other end of the phone line, "I'm Sarah Collins, you knew my mother, Laurel. I.. I need some information on a gypsy curse… yes, it's a soul restoration curse by a clan called the Kalderesh. Whatever help you can get me… please."

TBC.


	10. Chapter 10

**Creek Apartments, 11:30p.m.**

Giles recognized the name that Sarah was speaking to on the phone, a Miss Harkness possibly from the Devon Coven in England. It was a coven she was familiar with as one of many who did not bow to the control and authority of the Watchers Council. They were a powerful coven that specialized in combating dark magic and he had met a few members of their group in Oxford following the nightmare with Eyghon. He looked on, as did Xander while Sarah nodded her head after asking Miss Harkness about the Kalderesh Curse.

The Watcher wanted to kick himself; it should have been himself who should have taken the initiative to call someone, anyone, for advice when Angel told them about the curse that returned his soul.

'I should have seen it,' thought Giles as he wiped his glasses while Sarah looked up at him in surprise with the phone to her ear after telling Miss Harkness that she was in Sunnydale. The woman then said goodbye to the elderly witch on the phone, and then put down the receiver and looked up at Giles and Xander.

"Miss Harkness said that the Coven needs to do some research on the Kalderesh curse," said Sarah walking towards them, "they'll get back to me by tomorrow about anything they found on the curse."

"Good, good," said Giles as he put his glasses back on before the two adults spoke together at the same time.

"You know Miss Harkness?" asked Sarah.

"How do you know Miss Harkness?" asked Giles.

Xander watched the both of them and chuckled at the reactions they had after realizing that they asked the same question at the same time.

"Jinx," said Xander out loud as Giles and Sarah looked at him, the older man with a scowl, and Sarah with a small smile on her face. Realizing that neither of them was going to follow the rules of a 'jinx', Xander just rubbed the back of his head nervously and asked if he could stay with Willow and Tara.

"Yes, that would be best," said Giles as Xander laughed nervously while stepping backwards until he turned around and rushed to Tara's room where the younger blonde witch and Willow were while Angel was sitting on the ledge outside the window and looking at the unconscious Buffy. While Xander joined the teenagers and the older Vampire in Tara's room, Sarah motioned for Giles to take a seat at the dining room table while she got into the kitchen.

"Coffee, or tea?" asked Sarah as she looked at the Watcher from behind the kitchen counter.

"Tea, if you have it," said Giles as Sarah nodded her head before she went to prepare the water and tea bags. Boiling the water on the stove, Sarah then walked around the counter and sat across from Giles and put her hands on the table.

"So," said Sarah, "how do you know Miss Harkness?" asked Sarah, "I told her that I was in Sunnydale and she told me that there was an acquaintance of hers living in the city, a man by the name of Rupert Giles."

"I," said Giles, stopping before he could continue as he leaned to one side and looked down the corridor to make sure that the door to Tara's room was closed. He then sighed and leaned back to his original position before he put his hands on the table as well, "it was before I joined the Council. Well, not exactly... I was in the Watcher Academy when an incident occurred that made me turn my back on the Council; my destiny as it were."

"Ok," said Sarah nodding her head.

"I went on a rebellious streak by attending Oxford in defiance of my father's wishes," said Giles, "I was already interested in the occult, and eventually I dropped out along with a few other interested teens. I did some bad things including…"

"The tattoo," said Sarah nodding her head.

"Yes," answered Giles as he looked at the site of the Tattoo of Eyghon that was covered by his long sleeve, before looking up at Sarah again, "I dabbled in dark magic for a while with some friends, and then… and then one of them died."

"I'm sorry," said Sarah.

"That's when I stopped using magic altogether," said Giles, "I attended Oxford and graduated before getting into the Watchers Academy. It was in Oxford that I met with some witches who sensed my dark magics… good witches. They said that their coven could help me come to terms with the darkness that infected my magic and.. and during the break they introduced me to Miss Harkness and the Devon Coven.

"Then you may have known my mother?" asked Sarah, "Laurel Collins?"

"I'm afraid not, Sarah," said Giles, "I was up in Devon during my breaks, and.. and, in fact, I only know a few of the witches and seers."

"I see," said Sarah as she got up and walked behind the counter and started to make the tea. Once the tea was made for the both of them, she walked back around the counter and handed a mug of the hot liquid to Giles before taking a seat herself with a mug of tea in her hand, "my mother had power when she was ten. It just came naturally to her, and her parents.. my grandparents sent her to Miss Harkness so that she could control her magic."

"Your parents approved of magic?" asked Giles as Sarah nodded her head.

"The women in my family have shown natural ability to mould magic," said Sarah softly, her face was not showing any emotion that Giles could see that showed she was proud of that fact, "my mother, my grandmother, great-grandmother.. all of them had power. They've used the Devon Coven to help control their magics. My mother then married and moved to Colorado Springs in the States, but my father was different than my grandfather. He was an American Air Force pilot who didn't approve of the supernatural and the occult, he heard rumours about it… but he didn't see it as the force of good that my mother did. So she stopped using magic... I mean it was easy for her since she loved my father. Then she had me; she knew that I carried the gift too so.. so when I was ten, she started training me in secret."

"I see," said Giles as he took a sip of tea.

"She taught me that magic has to be controlled, that it shouldn't be the other way around; that magic isn't an easy way out to life's problems. That it should be respected and not abused. Then I married… and… and now we're not together."

Giles noticed the slight shift in Sarah's face when she mentioned that her marriage was over; he noticed a rage in her eyes for just an instant before Sarah closed her eyes and took a deep breath, before opening them again. He decided not to push the issue since it seemed deeply personal for some reason, but he did hope that he could help her come to terms with whatever happened between Sarah and her husband. It was then that Giles realized something before he looked at the hallway towards Tara's door, and then back at Sarah, who noticed the expression on the Watcher's face.

"Tara's an expert in reading aura's," said Sarah with a small smile, "she's far better at it than I ever was; and she's more powerful than me… but she's got a handle on her magic. She knows when to use it, and when not to."

"I see," replied Giles as he looked at the look on Sarah's face; the one that told him wordlessly that he had better not force Tara to use magic in order to help Buffy in her duties as a Slayer. Giles then fixed his glasses before leaning forward again, "Sarah, thank you for telling me about yourself and Tara. I can assure you that any decision to use magic will be left to her. As you said, she is trained and she knows the difference between using magic for good, or for ill."

"She does," said Sarah as she rubbed her forehead, "but it's her decision if she wants to help Buffy, or not."

"I understand," said Giles nodding his head as he took one last sip of the tea.

It was then he said that it would be better if he took Willow and Xander home. He said that that they needed their sleep since tomorrow was a school day.

"I should tell Tara to get to sleep too," replied Sarah as she looked at a wall clock, and then back at Giles again, "if Buffy's injured during her duties, just come to me. If it's nothing too major, I can sew her up and she can rest here. But… but her mother will also think that there's something wrong if Buffy keeps on staying here, or if she returns home with dirtied and bloody clothes. Doesn't she wonder about the blood on Buffy's clothes? I mean I'm sure that when she usually goes home that she may be bleeding, and some of that blood would have ended up on whatever she' wearing that night... doesn't Mrs. Summers notice?"

"It's this city," said Giles, "everyone here, especially the adults, has some explanation for the strange happenings."

"Gangs on PCP? Barbeque fork killers?" asked Sarah as Giles nodded his head, "ever since Tara and I arrived, we've sensed a powerful magic… a field around the city."

"I believe that's what is causing this attitude of disbelief among the adults," said Giles in amazement, "you could sense that?"

"But we can't tell where it's coming from," said Sarah, "just only it's around the entire city."

"I see," said Giles as he got up, along with Sarah, "I believe this is something I should look up in the library; maybe some of my books could shed some light on the situation. But in the meantime.."

"Take them home, Rupert," said Sarah, "I'll call Mrs. Summers again and ask her to come by with some new clothes for Buffy."

"Very well," said Giles.

"And Rupert," said Sarah, "Willow, Xander, Tara, you, and I know about Buffy being the Slayer. Maybe it's time that Mrs. Summers knows the truth about who her daughter is."

'That.. that.." said Giles as he fixed his glasses and shook his head nervously.

"Talk to Buffy about it," said Sarah, "being a Slayer is a part of her life, as you know… and her mother not knowing is unfair for her. I understand the concerns that Buffy may have in not telling her mother… I mean I used to read superhero comic books as well... but the fact remains that Joyce could be a target for this Spike person.. or any vampire or demon that knows Buffy's the Slayer. Mrs. Summers stays safe if she knows the truth… just, just think about it."

'I'll speak with Buffy," said Giles.

"Thank you," said Sarah as Giles called out for Xander, and Willow; telling them that he was going to take them home.

 **Creek Apartments, 07:00a.m.**

Buffy's eyes fluttered open as warm sunlight hit her face; she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand before propping herself up on both her elbows. Looking around, she instantly knew that this wasn't her room which made her tense up as she slowly turned and hung her feet off the edge of the bed before closing her eyes and trying to remember what happened.

'I was fighting Spike,' thought Buffy to herself, 'both of us were pretty much going at it.. I… I remember being thrown around; lost my stake and sword, I remember the smug look on his face... I remember pinning him down with the stake over his heart, and then… he kicked me. We fought… damn, that bastard could fight. We fought until I had him where I wanted him… and then I felt someone dig sharp nails in and scratch my back. Ford? No… Drusilla. She screamed and punched me while Ford just stood there… I remember Spike grabbing me from behind and then throwing me to the mausoleum wall... I think it broke too. I don't know... but I hit the bastard and his bitch. I remember the sword... I remember picking up the sword... I.. I thought I was picking up the stake. Tired… so tired.'

Buffy then remembered that Spike was too far away for her, and Drusilla was already in the air after leaping towards the blonde Slayer. Buffy remembered that she then rolled to one side as Drusilla landed on the ground; followed by a scream from Spike as Buffy stabbed Drusilla through the chest with her what she thought was a stake. Buffy blinked when she saw the hilt of the sword as she let it go and Drusilla stepped back in shock that she was actually hit, and Buffy was in shock that she made a stupid mistake. She then looked around and saw the stake lying close to where the sword had once lain on the ground. With renewed vigour that she'll, at least, kill off the insane vampire, Buffy ran towards the stake. As Buffy sat on the bed, she remembered her focus being on the stake before noticing at the last possible moment that Spike rammed into her screaming, making the Slayer fall onto the ground. Buffy saw him look at Drusilla who had a sword through her chest before he looked at Buffy again and growled and kicked her. Buffy groaned as Spike then grabbed her by the collar and picked her up.

'He was gonna bit me,' thought Buffy to herself when she remembered Spike baring his fangs.

"A hat trick of Slayers," Spike had said yesterday night.

However, Buffy remembered she wasn't out yet as she smashed both her fists into the sides of Spike's head. She remembered that the vampire dropped her and screamed in pain before he grabbed her and then threw her hard into the mausoleum.

'I.. it went dark after that..' though Buffy to herself as she looked down at what she was wearing before whispering to herself, "where's my shirt?"

Buffy then looked down the shirt she was wearing and noticed the sewn up injuries that had nearly been healed, and it was then that she had flashes of memories where she remembered getting up from the floor… she remembered walking out of the cemetery… walking up flights of stairs… collapsing into Sarah's arms. Buffy then remembered Willow holding her hand, followed by another memory flash of her looking up at Sarah, and then at Tara before her eyes closed.

'I'm in Tara's apartment,' thought Buffy to herself as she smiled when she smelled the coffee in the air, followed by the opening of the front door and the sound of Sarah's voice welcoming the familiar voice of Joyce Summers to the formers home.

"Tara!" Buffy heard Sarah calling out, "can you check on Buffy?"

"Yea," came the reply.

Buffy slowly got off the bed when there was a soft knock on the door.

"Yeah," said Buffy as she flinched in pain while the door opened to reveal Tara smiling at her when she peeked her head through the gap in the door.

"Hey," said Tara as she opened the door and walked in, "you alright?"

"Yeah," whispered Buffy, "I don't remember last night, though."

"Just follow our lead," said Tara as she put her hand on the Slayer's back and gently guided her out of the room, "momma? Mrs. Summers? Look who's up."

"Good morning Buffy," said Sarah who was in the kitchen making some coffee, while Joyce headed to the young blonde Slayer and hugged her. Buffy did everything she could not to wince, as she hugged her mother back. She then noticed a fresh set of clothes and her backpack on the dining table.

"Morning," said Buffy as she smiled at Sarah, and Tara while hugging her mother. The two then separated with Joyce putting her hand gently on Buffy's shoulder.

"I heard that you, Tara, and the others were studying till late?" asked Joyce as Buffy glanced at Tara and Sarah who were nodding their heads. She then shifted her eyes to Joyce and nodded her head as well. Buffy told her mother that they were studying till late and that Willow and Xander left about an hour ago since they had also stayed at Sarah's apartment.

"What happened to the shirt you were wearing?" asked Joyce as she looked at Buffy.

"Some grape juice fell on it," said Tara as Buffy nodded her head, "it's in the laundry, Mrs. Summers."

"Umm, Mrs. Summers," said Sarah hoping to change the topic of conversation as she brought a cup of coffee and plates of toast, eggs, and bacon, and placed them on the table, "join us for breakfast?"

"Thank you," smiled Joyce as she looked back at Sarah, and then at Buffy again, "alright Kiddo, get changed.. and then off to school."

"Umm…" said Buffy as she grabbed her clothes before looking at Tara, "where's the…"

"You must have been out of it after all the studying," said Sarah as she glanced at Buffy before she looked at Tara. She then asked her daughter to show Buffy the restroom, and as Buffy followed Tara… Joyce sighed before turning around and thanking Sarah for looking after her daughter.

"It's nothing, Mrs. Summers," said Joyce waving her hands as he motioned Buffy's mother to take a seat.

"Call me Joyce, please."

"Call me Sarah."

The two women then continued to talk before Tara sat down with them. It would be thirty minutes later that Buffy would walk out changed and refreshed, before thanking Sarah for everything she did. Sarah smiled and nodded her head while Tara was talking to Joyce; and as she glanced at Joyce, Sarah felt bad about the lies they had to tell her but she resolved to talk to Giles again.

'I hope Buffy tells Joyce the truth," thought Sarah to herself, 'she deserves to know; and I hope Miss. Harkness gets back to me soon, I'm not comfortable at all with the curse thing. Hope this day goes well for everyone involved.'

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

**Sunnydale High staff lounge, a day later; 1:15 p.m.**

It was early in the morning, at about five, when the phone rang in the Collins' apartment in Sunnydale. It was a groggy Sarah who got up, and then reached around for the phone on her bedside table; upon finding it, she put the phone to her ear and groggily told the person on the line to call back at another time.

And before the other person could get a word in edgewise, the blonde said, "if this is another telemarketing call, I swear to you that you'll be turned into a toad for a few hours a day until you stop calling me."

However, Sarah opened her eyes wide and got up when she finally recognized the voice of the person on the other voice telling her that she wasn't a telemarketer and that changing them into dung beetles would be far more suitable.

"Of course, turning anyone into dung beetles, or even into toads would be highly unethical."

"Hi, Miss. Harkness," said Sarah sheepishly while she remained in bed and listened to what was being said over the phone, her face stunned at what the older woman from England was telling her about the Kalderesh Curse.

It would be later that day that Sarah would meet up with Giles at the staff lounge while Buffy, Xander, Willow, and Tara were in class. She approached Giles, who was talking to a short, brunette woman before tapping on his shoulder. Sarah then stepped back slightly as Giles placed a hand on the unknown woman's shoulder and then introduced her to the latest addition to the school's Nursing staff.

"Jenny Calendar," said Giles as he placed a hand on the small of Jenny's back while motioning towards Sarah who had her hand outstretched, "This is Sarah Collins."

"Miss Collins," said Jenny as he shook Sarah's hand.

"Please, just call me Sarah," said the blonde as she smiled at Jenny, before glancing at the look that Giles was giving the person who Sarah later learned was one of the school's I.T. teachers. However, there was something more she could sense from the two of them; both Jenny and Giles had feelings for each other.

Sarah could see their aura's playing with each other in harmony.

But Sarah also sensed a hint of jealousy coming from Jenny when she set her eyes on Sarah.

'She thinks that I'm a rival,' thought Sarah to herself before she shook her head and looked at Giles. Sarah then told Giles that she had heard something from their mutual friend in England... and it was that which made Giles nod his head before taking Sarah to one side with Jenney. Once they reached a relatively quiet area, he told Sarah that Jenny too knew about Buffy's 'extracurricular activities', and that she helped out when she could.

"Ah," said Sarah nodding her head at Jenny, "and you're a witch?"

"I guess the proper term is techno-pagan," replied the short haired woman, "I have nowhere that kind of a power, just some charms here and there. How about you?"

"I'm just a nurse," said Sarah as Jenny nodded her head while Giles looked at Sarah wondering why she didn't tell Jenny the truth, but then he quickly figured that the fewer people knew about her and Tara being witches, the better it would be for everyone. Giles then nodded his head at something that Sarah had said later on, that she was aware of the supernatural and that they really did exist, "I know some people in the occult world who told me to be careful since I was moving to Sunnydale with my daughter."

"Your daughter's in this school?" asked Jenny surprised.

"Tara Collins?" said Sarah as Jenny nodded her head in recognition of that name.

"She's in my Computer Studies class," said Jenny as she recalled the blonde haired girl who was sitting next to Xander and Willow earlier that day, "she's made good friends with Willow, Buffy, and Xander from what I could tell."

"Jenny's been away for two days," said Giles, "so I guess she must have just met Tara in the morning class?"

"Yea," said Jenny nodding her head.

"Actually, Rupert," said Sarah as she looked at the Watcher, "could I talk to you, Buffy, and… and…"

"Angel?" asked Giles as Jenny looked up at the man, who was looking at Sarah with an eyebrow raised.

"Yea," said Sarah when she noticed the flare-up in Jenny's aura that translated to the short brown haired computer teacher being worried upon hearing Angel's name; but Sarah wasn't sure why she would need to be worried in the first place. Shaking her head, Sarah told Giles that she needed to talk to him, Buffy, and Angel about what she found.

"What's going on?" whispered Jenny as she leaned in towards Giles.

"Something happened while you were away," said Giles as he looked at Jenny, and then at Sarah, "Sarah brought up a good point about Angel's soul; a certain thing that I hadn't thought about finding out for myself."

"I know you said that Angel has a soul," said Jenny while she thought to herself, 'don't tell me that he suspects something about the curse. He couldn't, could he? How about this Sarah person, she couldn't have found out anything about my clan's curse? Not many people know about the Soul restoration spell so… I suppose in a way it's good if someone reveals something about the curse. Angel and Buffy are too close as it is, and if Angel has his one moment of true happiness… then we have Angelus.'

Sarah again noticed Jenny's aura flashing; it was something that she connected with as being worried. She wondered what Jenny would be worried about that her aura would be going crazy like it was at that moment in time. However, given that she hadn't even told Giles and the others what Miss Harkness told her yet, Sarah thought it best to wait until later to tell Giles what she had seen in Jenny's aura. If at all.

"I suppose that Willow, Xander, and even Tara would like to hear about this as well," said Giles as Sarah switched from looking at Jenny who was looking at the floor with a faraway look in her eyes, to the Watcher.

"Tara's knows that the Coven returned my call, and she knows that we need to talk," said Sarah as she nodded her head at Giles, "but the others are welcome to come if they want to hear what the Coven had to say."

"Seriously," said Jenny, "What's going on?"

"Sarah spoke to someone from the Devon Coven when she heard about Angel's soul and the fact that he called it a curse," said Giles as he looked at Sarah, and the at Jenny, "it seems that they have returned with some news."

"Oh," said Jenny as she looked at Giles and then at Sarah with a surprise n her face, "I've heard about the soul too but I never realized that there could be a downside to it."

"Right," said Sarah as she looked at Jenny, and then at Giles. The blonde woman was wondering about Jenny's aura again, it seemed as if she was relieved about something when Giles mentioned about having asked someone from the Devon coven about Angel's soul while Sarah thought to herself, 'and she's lying about not knowing about any downside to having the soul. Does she know something? Does Rupert? No… I don't sense Rupert lying when he said he regretted not having asked the Coven anything in regards to Angel's soul... he actually regrets it. But Jenny seems almost relieved that I found something... that the Coven found something. Maybe we'll have to wait until tonight.

"I'll see the both of you, Buffy, Angel, and the others tonight then?" asked Sarah as Giles nodded his head.

"I hope that you and Tara would come by early for dinner with me and Jenny," said Giles as Sarah smiled and nodded her head, especially when hearing he had all the materials needed for making the perfect cup of tea.

 **Giles' Apartment; 8:15 p.m.**

It was an hour after dinner that Buffy, Angel, Willow, and Xander arrived at Giles' house… the former two worried about what the Coven may have found out about Angel's curse. Willow had asked Tara earlier that day when the blonde told them about her mother wanting to talk to them about what the Coven found out in regards to Angel's soul, but all the redhead received from Tara was that she'll find out soon enough. Tara had asked Buffy if she wanted Willow and Xander to come down to Giles' apartment since it only concerned her and Angel. However, Buffy told Tara that Willow and Xander would find out anyway, so it was better that they found out what was happening with Angel's soul together.

So it was that Sarah and Tara were seated on the couch in Giles' living room, while Giles and Jenny were seated on an armchair while the others just stood in various places along the edge of the living room; Angel was, of course, standing next to Buffy, who looked worried that Sarah may have been told some horrible secret.

"Now that we're all here," said Sarah as she leaned forward and put her hands together gently while she looked at Angel and Buffy, "Angel, Buffy... I know you love each other very much. I can see it from you, Buffy… I mean it. It's…"

"You can see it?" asked Jenny as she leaned forward while looking at Sarah curiously, "what do you mean you can see it?"

"It's kind of obvious," said Sarah who was very aware that Jenny didn't know who Sarah really was, and the blonde wanted things to remain that way... that's what she told Giles earlier that day in the library when Jenny was taking another class, and that's what Tara told the others... that they didn't know that Sarah was a witch. Sarah told Giles that she had this feeling that Jenny was hiding something and, before Giles could say anything to defend the woman he cared about, Sarah told him that Jenny had her own secrets for a reason and that she wasn't going to pry. Back in Giles' home, Giles had his arm around Jenny's shoulders while Sarah was saying that she had seen this kind of a love before; a younger girl falling in love with an older man, "obviously nothing like this."

"My mom's right, Buffy... Angel," said Tara before looking at Jenny and telling her that she had an ability to read aura's, and she could literally see the love that Buffy had for the vampire. Jenny looked on smiling at Tara before asking a few questions about her aura reading ability while all the while reminding herself that she needed to be careful in front of Tara.

Jenny was afraid that Giles would break up with her if he learned who she really was, and her reason for coming to Sunnydale High. Once she had finished asking Tara questions, Jenny listened in as Tara told Angel that since he was dead, all she got from him was darkness with the white ball of light in the middle, shining through.

"You can see the soul?" asked Jenny as she looked at Tara impressed.

"Yes," said Tara nodding her head at Jenny before looking at Buffy and Angel again, "but that doesn't mean that you don't have the same feelings for Buffy."

"Just some… hey," said Xander as Willow lightly slapped his arm before telling him to let Tara and Sarah finish what they wanted to say.

"Thank you, Tara," said Angel after he glared at Xander, and then looked at the younger blonde, "you're right, I do love her."

"Are you happy?" asked Sarah as she looked at Angel, "Angel, are you happy with Buffy?"

"Yes," said Angel looking at Sarah before he looked at Buffy who grinned while her face turned red, "happiest I've been since I got my soul back."

Tara and Sarah then looked at each other after they glanced at the worry in Jenny's aura while her exterior was projecting calm, and a bit of fascination. However, the both of them didn't see the I.T. teacher looking at Tara and Sarah with worry on her face when they looked away before quickly putting on a facade of calmness. Jeny was hopeful that by remaining as calm as possible, then Tara wouldn't notice anything wrong.

However, Jenny couldn't help feeling the shock that came from what Sarah said next; it was a shock also felt by Buffy, Angel, Willow, and even Tara since she didn't know the details of what the Coven told Sarah.

Tara, however, saw Xander's aura erupt in joy.

"I'm sorry, Buffy… Angel," said Sarah as she shook her head, "the two of you have to break up."

"Huh?" asked Buffy with her mouth open while Giles leaned forward and Willow walked over to her best friend. All Angel could do was just stand there concerned as he looked at the facial expression on Sarah's face, and then the look of surprise on Tara's face that indicated to the vampire that she didn't know that her mother was going to drop this bombshell.

"The Kalderash curse," said Sarah as she looked around the room, not stopping when she noticed Jenny's aura flaring up when she mentioned the Kalderesh before she rested her eyes on both Buffy and Angel. The blonde witch then got up and walked towards the shocked Buffy, and Angel who was deep in thought while the two of them held their hands together. Sarah then put her hands on the shoulders of both Angel and Buffy; and then looked at Angel who looked back at her with a sadness in his eyes that Sarah knew couldn't be faked, but she needed to say what she had to say, "the Kalderesh curse is exactly that, a curse. There's fine print that once activated is bad for you, and everyone here. Angel, the curse would be broken. The Coven told me about Angelus."

"Oh," said Angel.

"What do you feel about him, Angel," asked Sarah as Buffy looked at Sarah and asked her to stop.

"Buffy," said Angel as he looked at the blonde after she tried to interrupt Sarah again with tears in her eyes, she was in disbelief about someone she had known for only a few days thought that she knew her, and Angel; and the Slayer said as much to Sarah who could only close her eyes.

"Buffy," said Giles as he looked at his Slayer who immediately regretted what she said.

"Mom's just trying to help, Buffy," said Tara as she stood up and put her hand on Sarah's shoulder.

"But we know that Angelus isn't coming back," said Willow as Buffy just looked on despondent at the thought that she may have to break up with Angel; the one that she loved, the one that she was destined to love.

"He's a monster," said Angel softly as he looked at Sarah who nodded her head, "he… I did a lot of bad things, Mrs. Collins. I murdered a lot of people and ruined a lot of lives. He cannot return, I won't be Angelus again."

"If you stay with Buffy, then the odds that you become Angelus again increases," said Sarah as she looked at Angel, "one moment of pure happiness, Angel. That's all it takes; that's what the Coven found out about the Kalderesh curse."

"I don't understand," said Giles while Buffy held on tight to a resigned Angel; in the meantime, Willow's arm was around Buffy's shoulder comforting her while Xander looked on without any expression on his face. Although Tara's glances at the young man's aura showed how happy he was, and it was something that put off the young blonde witch. She decided to say something later, but for now, she had to be with her mother as she continued to speak while looking at Giles, and t hen at Buffy and Angel, "the curse was meant for Angel to remember everything he did as Angelus. The Kalderesh wanted vengeance for the loss of their favoured daughter, and this was the ultimate form of vengeance. As long as Angel felt the horrors of what he did as Angelus each and every day of his life, his soul would remain and Angelus would never return."

"But one moment of pure happiness…" said Jenny who was amazed that this Coven knew so much about her Clan, "but it could mean anything. And Buffy already said that they're happy together."

"Yea," said Buffy as she snapped her fingers and pointed at Jenny before looking at Sarah and Tara, "we're happy and Angel's still Angel."

"Are there any other details about this happiness? I mean what constitutes pure happiness?" asked Giles as Sarah looked at him and shook her head before saying that the Coven weren't sure.

"Then we can't break up," said Buffy as she looked at Angle, and then at Sarah, "we can't."

"What could it be, Mrs. Collins?" asked Angel as he looked at Sarah, "this pure happiness, what do you think it could be?"

"A date, a kiss, just holding hands," said Sarah as she rubbed the back of her head nervously as she tried to find the guts to say what she wanted to say next, "or even… well, or even sex."

"Eeeww," said Xander shaking his head.

"I know you're not happy with me, Buffy," said Sarah, "but this is something that you need to know... something that especially Angel needs to know since he's aware of what may happen if he loses his soul."

"We can't risk it," said Angel softly as Buffy looked at him in shock.

"Angel?" asked Buffy with tears in her eyes as Sarah took a step back.

"I'm not saying we break up," said Angel as he looked at Buffy, "but Angelus can't be allowed out into the world, Buffy. We... we need to be careful..."

"Can you really be careful?" asked Xander as Angel and Buffy looked at him while Willow and Tara frowned.

"I… I… need some time alone," said Buffy as she rushed out of the room while Sarah told Angel, who was about to go after the blonde Slayer, to give her some time alone. She asked Willow and Tara to go to her while putting a hand on the vampire's shoulder. Sarah asked Angel to take a seat, and that they could talk about what he should think he could do.

"Your help is still vital here, Angel," said Giles, "and Buffy still needs your help in battling threats that she couldn't take on her own."

"Just take a seat, Angel," said Jenny as she stood up and walked towards Sarah, who turned towards the teacher.

"Miss Calendar," said Sarah, "could I have a word with you? In private?"

"Umm…, sure," said Jenny nervously.

TBC.


	12. Chapter 12

**Outside Giles' apartment, 08:30 p.m.**

Buffy sat on the bench that was located right outside Giles' apartment with tears in her eyes. She put her elbows on t eh table and then put her face in her hand as she sobbed at the thought of what Sarah had just told her and Angel. That if the ensouled vampire experienced one moment of pure and adulterated happiness, then he would lose his soul. Buffy had heard from Angel and Giles about Angelus, about how he was the most feared monster that ever walked the Earth, that he had killed millions in Europe with Spike, Darla, and Drusilla before he got his soul.

She knew everything about Angelus, but even thinking about leaving Angel over something that may not happen now that she knew the consequences was still hard to digest. Buffy didn't want to leave him.

She loved him with all her heart.

As she cried, Buffy felt a hand on either side of her shoulders before feeling someone taking a seat next to her. She felt a hand rubbing her back, as well as the presence of someone else who was just sitting quietly. Shaking her head, Buffy took her face away from her hands and wiped eyes with the back of her hands. She glanced around and saw that Willow was the one who was rubbing her back, trying to comfort the blonde Slayer while Tara was the one just sitting nervously while playing with her fingers before she looked up at Buffy and gave a small smile.

"I'm sorry about what I said back there," said Buffy as she looked at the table, and then looked at Tara, "it's just that… I mean…. I never thought I'd have to think about something like wondering if I should let Angel go."

"Now you know what the deal is with the curse," said Willow as Buffy turned to look at her best friend, "you can be more careful, you know. Doesn't mean that you have to break up with Angel. Cause you know, you're meant to be. I mean the both of you are meant to be."

"Buffy," said Tara as she brushed her hand on the blonde Slayers so that she would turn towards her, "you and Angel have something special, my mom's not saying that you don't."

"Just that if we do something that gives him pure happiness, then we… or I.. release a mass murderer into the world," said Buffy softly as she looked at the table again, "I know that won't happen, I know we won't release Angelus. I know we can be careful and…"

"What happens if someone slips, Buffy," said Tara gently as the blonde wiped her tears while Willow looked at Tara, "what if something happens that's out of your control? I know you don't know us very well, I mean we technically just met and…"

"No," said Willow shaking her head as Tara looked at her and smiled while Buffy shook her head too and wiped her eye again, "it's just that it's something surprising to hear, you know?"

"I don't want to break up with him," said Buffy as she looked at Tara and then at Willow before holding both of their hands.

"He'll still be here," said Tara, "I don't think he'll just up and leave without saying anything to you, Buffy."

Buffy looked at Tara and smiled while Willow put her arms around the blonde before resting her head on Buffy's shoulder.

"I wish I had some ice cream now," said Buffy as Tara and Willow both snorted before chuckling as Buffy shook her head.

 **Giles' apartment, at that same time.**

While Giles and Angel were talking I the living room with Xander standing off to one side, and Buffy was outside with Willow and Tara, the latter two comforting the blonde Slayer. Sarah and Jenny walked down the corridor, Sarah following the I.T teacher who she thought seemed too familiar with Giles' home. She smiled a bit as Jenny made a left into another hallway that led to a storage closet at the end.

Away from the living room, and from the ears of Giles and the others, Jenny faced Sarah with worry etched on her face as to why the blonde wanted to talk to her in private in the first place. The two women looked at each other before Sarah was the one who spoke up first.

"Being a nurse means I kind of have to read body language, Miss Calendar," said Sarah.

"Jenny, please," said the teacher as Sarah nodded her head.

"Like I was saying, Jenny," said Sarah, "body language; it's how I know that while working in a high school infirmary, the boy that walks in limping and holding on to his knee isn't really injured… he's just there to check out the hot new nurse. Well… not hot but cute, maybe."

Jenny shook her head and chuckled before telling Sarah that her first day of class saw some of the boys just staying over in her class, or asking for her to help with things that they already knew. The both of them continued talking about their experiences until Sarah could tell from Jenny's aura that she was feeling a bit more comfortable around the blonde. Sarah shook her head and the told Jenny that while they were talking about the Kalderesh curse, she noticed Jenny's body language change. She told Jenny that she could read aura's like Tara, but she could tell just from her body language that Jenny was feeling a bit nervous when she talked about the Curse.

"You're one of the Kalderash, aren't you?" asked Sarah gently.

"Yes," said Jenny nodding her head as she left out a sigh of relief, "I was sent to make sure that Angel doesn't fall in love, or experience happiness and… and when he and Buffy were together, I… I didn't know what to say. I know I was supposed to say something but… I don't know why I didn't say anything."

"I take it Rupert doesn't know?" asked Sarah.

"No," said Jenny shaking her head, "if I tell him, and Angel, and Buffy, who I really am. Then I think I'm done with them. It was my clan that cursed Angel out of a need for vengeance. The curse was made that way that he'd lose his soul if he ever found happiness. I just didn't realize how much Buffy loved him until Tara said something just now… that she could see her aura and how happy she was."

"Angel and Buffy know the cost of what could happen now," said Sarah as she looked at the woman in front of her, "I won't tell Rupert about you being from the Kalderash clan, it's not my business to tell him."

"Thanks," replied Jenny as she turned and leaned around the corner of the hallway they were in so that she could look down the other hallway and into the living room. She then closed her eyes and turned towards Sarah while leaning against the wall, "but I still have to tell him, don't I?"

"I guess so?" said Sarah with a grimace on her face as she thought about the various reactions that Giles could have if Jenny told him the truth of who she was. She then thought about the possible reactions from Buffy, and Angel before she shook her head and told Jenny that it was completely up to her, "but having a secret like this between the both of you would hurt you, in the long run, Jenny. Whatever you do, you can talk to me."

"Thanks," said Jenny as Sarah gave the woman a smile before nodding towards the living room.

"We should get back," said Sarah as they walked out of that hallway and back into the one that led to the living room. As they entered the living room, Sarah and the others heard the front door open as Buffy, Willow, and Tara walked back in. Sarah's heart broke at seeing the red eyes on Buffy, but she knew that she did the right thing in warning both the blonde Slayer and Angel about the risks if they stayed together. And now, there was nothing else that she could do.

"I'm sorry about what I said," replied Buffy as she walked over to Sarah and gave her a small smile just as Angel stopped talking to Giles and walked over to Buffy, putting an arm around her shoulders. She then looked up at Angel and she spoke, her voice breaking, "I… I think we should talk."

"Yeah," said Angel as he looked at Buffy before he smiled at Sarah. They both of them then turned around and walked out of the door, Buffy just turning around again to tell the others that they were going to be just outside.

Giles was the one who nodded his head while Xander sat down on the couch, secretly happy about what was going on. Tara was able to see his aura flashing in joy, but she decided it would be better not to say anything… at least not yet.

 **Sunnydale High Infirmary, 1:30 p.m.; two days later.**

Sarah had just finished patching up an injury that one of the school's basketball players had before she told him to get to class. With Tara and the others in class, Sarah now found herself alone in the medium sized room; she looked around and then decided to take a seat at her desk and read the novel she had brought with her. One part of her was telling her to go talk to Giles in the library, her senses were saying that there was something seriously wrong ever since the dead body that the staff were told about yesterday morning showed up at one of the building entrances. As Sarah took out her book and sat down, she wondered about the change in Giles' behaviour to being that of a closed off man. She saw, even without looking at his aura that something was troubling him; even Buffy said as much last night when she called Sarah after she went to his home following a patrol to prevent vampires from stealing much-needed blood from the hospital. She said that luckily Angel was able to help her out given that Giles was supposed to be her back-up.

"I'm worried about him, Mrs. Collins," Buffy had told her over the phone after she went home, "he was drunk and just… just… I don't know. He wasn't himself."

Sarah told Buffy that he probably received some bad news and that it would be better to let him get off some steam before she talked to him first thing in the morning. She told the Slayer to get some sleep before putting the phone down and then looking at Tara who then asked If everything was alright with Giles.

'I still don't know if everything is alright with him,' thought Sarah to herself as she got to the page of her novel that she had finished earlier, 'I know he was lying about something… I saw it, and it wasn't a small lie. It was one of those massive lies that can weigh anyone down."

"Sarah!" called Giles' voice as the doors to the infirmary opened and he walked in with Jenny's arm around his shoulders as Sarah quickly put the book down and rushed towards the two, "she... Jenny, Jenny was knocked out and... help."

"Rupert, Jen… no," said Sarah with her eyes wide open as she stepped back while Giles put Jenny, whose head was hanging downwards, on the bed. Giles turned around at hearing Sarah's gasp and noticed the look of terror on the blonde witch's face as she looked behind him at Jenny, "not… not… Jenny."

"No," said Giles as he looked at Jenny who started to chuckle as he took a few steps back while Sarah stood frozen in place as she felt ancient evil just pouring out of Jenny's body, "Eyghon."

"Rupert, Rupert," said Jenny in a deep voice as she looked up at him and laughed just before she jumped off the bed and grabbed Giles by the collar in a swift move before she smiled at Sarah who started to chant a spell of protection. Sarah knew that she was breaking her promise not to use magic, but she also knew that she was facing an ancient demon that was powerful that any of them… even more powerful than her and Tara combined. She wanted to put a barrier between herself and Giles to separate them from the possessed Jenny. Sarah was almost done with the spell when she was hit by the body of Giles who Jenny had thrown into her. The both of them fell onto the floor groaning as footsteps approached them.

Jenny grabbed Giles by the collar again and threw him against the wall very her fell back on the floor unconscious. The possessed Jenny then rushed to Sarah who was getting up while restarting her chanting again; she was in the last verse when Sarah was kicked in the abdomen. She gasped as she held to her side and rolled onto her back after giving off a yelp.

"Magic," said Jenny in that deep voice as she heard Giles groaning behind her.

"I…. I call on the protection of…."

Sarah was repeating the chant when Jenny grabbed her throat and started to squeeze while she continued to look at Giles who slowly raised his head and looked at Jenny.

"No," said Giles as she struggled to get up.

"This body will be more fun to torture you with, Rupert," said Jenny as she looked at Sarah whose eyes opened wide when she felt a force permeating her body.

In the meantime, Tara was in her history class sitting next to Buffy while Xander and Willow were at another class. The both of them were passing notes to each other about how boring the teacher was when Tara suddenly gasped and clutched her chest.

"Tara?" asked Buffy, her face showing her concern as she looked at the fear on Tara's face while she tightened her hold on her own chest, "Tara?"

"Miss Collins," said the teacher when he heard a commotion in the back between a few students who were whispering to each other about how weird Tara was being. The teacher saw the young woman clutching her chest and asked if she was alright.

"I… I'm having a panic attack and… and I need to go to… to the infirmary," whispered Tara as she looked at the teacher before looking at Buffy, "I.. I need to go and…"

"I'll take her to the infirmary," said Buffy as she helped Tara stand up while the teacher told Buffy to get back to the class quickly. He then started teaching after Buffy nodded her head and then head out of the door. Once the door closed behind them Tara told Buffy that they needed to get to the infirmary quickly, that her mother was in danger. Still grabbing her chest, both Buffy and Tara ran to the infirmary. It took only a few minutes, but after bursting through the infirmary doors, they were greeted by the sight of Sarah standing over an unconscious Jenny while she was looking at a panting Giles who was leaning against the wall. Sarah then looked at Tara, whose hand was over her mouth in shock while Buffy was looking at Giles, and then at Jenny, and then at Sarah.

"My Tara," said Sarah as she grinned while speaking in a deep voice, a voice that sent chills down the spines of Buffy and Tara, "so much light. Just like a star… you'll be mine soon, sweetheart. When you're alone, I'll come for you… when you don't have the Slayer to protect you… I'll come for you. Until then, I plan on getting used to the magics in this body and going after the other. Then I will return for dear Rupert, and then you... you will be my vessel. See you soon and…."

"You… you aren't my mother," said Tara shaking her head, "who… who are you?"

"I'm so sorry, Tara," said Giles as Sarah laughed just as she ran towards the windows in one end of the infirmary that looked out towards the rear lawn, "forgive me…. I'm so sorry."

"No!" shouted Tara as Sarah laughed before she jumped through the windows, breaking the glass, "Momma!"

Tara and Buffy ran to the window that looked out to the back of the school and they didn't see Sarah anywhere. Buffy turned to look at Giles who was avoiding looking at her before he walked towards Jenny, and kneeled down next to her and felt for a pulse.

"Giles, what just happened?" asked Buffy while Tara was looking out the window with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Tara," said Giles as he looked up at Tara whose back was to him while he felt a pulse when he touched Jenny's neck, "we'll get your mother back. I promise… I swear."

TBC.


	13. Chapter 13

**Sunnydale High Infirmary.**

Buffy was holding on to Tara's shoulders while she gently pulled her away from the window, and to one of the beds. Buffy sat the silent Tara down before she looked into her eyes that were moving from one direction to another, as if the blonde witch was replaying what just happened in her mind. The blonde Slayer frowned before she looked at Giles who just finished laying down the unconscious Jenny on another bed before he caressed her cheeks. Giles then looked up at Buffy, and then at Tara whose back was still to him.

"Tara," said Giles as he left Jenny's side, and walked over to where Buffy was standing with Tara, "I promise you that we'll get Sarah back to you. I…"

"Giles," said Buffy as her watcher turned and looked at the Slayer, Giles had seen the look of shock on Tara's face, and his heart broke as he thought about his sins coming back to hurt him and the people closest to him. He then looked at Buffy who asked him what just happened.

"That… that was a demon," said Tara softly as she closed her eyes and shook her head before looking at Giles, "Mr. Giles, that was a demon in my mother, wasn't it?"

"I'm so sorry," said Giles as he shook his head while Tara's eyes started to get wet, "I… I'm really sorry. Your… your mother knew about my past.. I mean I told her about my past, and she warned me about the mistakes I made. What just happened? It's my mistakes come back to haunt me."

"Then let's get the demon out of Mrs. Collins," said Buffy as she took a step towards Giles while putting a hand on Tara's shoulder, "Giles, there has to be a way to get it out of her."

"Tara," said Giles as he walked in front of her and then took a chair, set it down, and then sat down and looked into the eyes of the blonde witch, "this is my fault that this has happened. And I will keep my promise, but you need you know what we're facing… you need to know the mistakes I made so that you could help me find your mother."

Giles then reached out and held on to Tara's hand and gently squeezed, "Tara, can you help me?"

"Ye…yes," said Tara as she thought about what would happen if her mother died… then she'd be alone; however, Tara told herself to stop thinking like that, 'momma's going to be safe. She's strong, she can keep the demon at bay. But not for too long. Momma, hang on we're coming.'

"Buffy," said Giles, "you need to hear this too. I hoped you'd never find out about my mistakes, but maybe that was my mistake in the first place."

"Not telling me about your mistakes, you mean?" asked Buffy as Giles nodded his head.

"It started many years ago," said Giles as he looked at Buffy, who was sitting next to Tara, and then at the blonde witch, "I met a few friends, including Ethan Rayne."

"The 'us becoming our costumes on Halloween guy? That Ethan Rayne?" asked Buffy as Tara knitted her eyebrows at Buffy, and then at Giles; both of whom told the blonde that it was a very long story. Tara nodded her head as Buffy asked Giles to continue, and the both of them listened in surprise at how rebellious Giles used to be in his youth, and then he told them about his fascination with the occult which only grew after he met Ethan and his other friends, "Tara, have you ever heard of a being called Eyghon?"

 **Sunnydale High Library, later that day.**

Tara, Buffy, and Giles briefed Willow and Xander about what had happened to Jenny and Sarah. The two of them were surprised in learning the truth about Giles' past. Jenny refused to return home so that she could rest after she regained consciousness; she found out about what happened to Sarah and insisted that she stay alongside Tara until Sarah got back. The I.T teacher did tell Giles that when she was possessed, she felt Eyghon's extreme hate for Giles and his other friends; she told Giles after she woke up that she had felt Eyghon's evil in her soul, and she couldn't help but blame the Watcher for bringing Eyghon into this world. Jenny then approached the stunned Tara and told her that everything was going to be ok, that she'll be getting her mother back.

"She's a witch?" asked Jenny.

"Yea," replied Tara softly as she continued to look out into nothingness before she shifted her eyes and looked at Jenny directly, "she didn't want to use her abilities, and… and she didn't want it to be a big deal so she told you that I'm the one with the magic."

"I couldn't hold back Eyghon," said Jenny in the library while Giles had his back to them and was looking down at the table in embarrassment. Xander, Willow, and Buffy looked up from the books they were reading on ancient demons, Eyghon, and possession, and noticed the look of embarrassment on Giles' face. In the meantime, Jenny continued to talk to Tara, "but if your mother has powerful magic, then it's possible that she could hold off on…"

"Actually," said Giles as he turned around and noticed the look that Jenney was giving him; the 'you better watch what you say' look. Giles then took a step forward and said that Jenny was right, "Sarah is a powerful witch, perhaps she could hold back Eyghon for a little while. It would give us some time to find her."

"I hope so," said Tara softly as she looked at the flashes in Giles' aura which indicated to the blonde witch that he was lying.

"Giles," said Buffy as Tara and Jenny headed to the table and sat down, "what else can you tell us about Eyghon?"

"You already know the reason why Ethan, Deidre, Randal, Philip, and I called on him," said Giles, "being possessed by him was like being in an unnatural high. If he possesses a corpse like Philip, then his energy causes the dead body to liquefy."

"That goop?" asked Xander as Willow and Buffy shuddered upon thinking about the possessed body of Phillip turning into green coloured slime right in front of their eyes earlier that day.

"Yes," said Giles as he looked at Tara, who was looking at the table. He then looked at the others that Eyghon had the ability to take control of unconscious hosts, and that was the most dangerous part of his possession. He looked at Jenny and told her that since she was unconscious after Philip knocked her out, she was the easiest person for Eyghon to inhabit.

"And since I was alive," said Jenny, "he could have...?"

"Used your body to return to this world completely over time," said Giles as Jenny closed her eyes and shook her head while Tara looked up at the Watcher, "I've seen it before… we… had used a spell that we thought would exorcize Randall after he was possessed. It ended up killing him, and that's the only way we know on how to stop Eyghon… I know Sarah wasn't unconscious, but she was.. no, is a very powerful witch. He could very well had used the magic energy he sensed from her and used that to spread like an infection upon touching her."

"So he moved from Miss Calendar to Mrs. Collins by touch," said Willow as Giles nodded his head while he took a seat and rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"That's what I got on these books," said Xander as he closed the cover and then leaned back while looking at Tara who was looking down at the table. He then looked at Giles and asked if the only choice was to do the unthinkable and kill Sarah.

"Xander!" said Buffy and Willow together before they looked at Tara who continued to look at the table.

"Will Eyghon come into this world if he keeps on possessing my mother?" asked Tara softly as she looked up at Giles.

"Yes," said the Watcher gently, "he'll kill those who have his mark first so that he could control us in death since our souls are already his; so Ethan and I will die first. And then he'll wait until his entire form has taken over Sarah. Only then will he be fully entered into this world."

"Wait, wait," said Willow as she picked up another book and opened it to a marked page. She looked down at it for the relevant passage and then perked up when she found it. She then looked up at Giles and told him that some possessing demons would leave the body even at the threat of death, "you think Eyghon falls under that kind of a demon?"

"It's possible," said Giles as he reached for the book, "but the problem becomes putting Eyghon into another body. And we cannot have someone volunteer on a suicide mission or else…"

"You said that Eyghon needs a dead or unconscious person to jump into," said Buffy with a growing smile as she looked at Giles who nodded his head. Buffy then looked at Tara and told her that she'll be getting her mother back, "I know a guy."

 **Sunnydale High Library, 7:00 p.m.**

It was already time for Buffy and Giles' plan to take place. The Watcher had tried to reach Ethan multiple time in the afternoon even though he despised the man; he called his apartment in London numerous time, but there was no response; so Giles left a message warning him about Eyghon's return, and the plan to stop him. Back in the library, Giles walked out of his office after preparing for the ritual that would call Eyghon to him. As he was heading towards the library proper from behind his counter, he saw Tara showing Willow how to draw certain symbols and their significance to the ritual while Buffy and Jenny stood to one side watching the blonde and redhead working together. Buffy then glanced at the dark figure hidden behind the book stacks; their ace in the hole.

As Giles was reading a book to refresh himself on the ritual that was needed to call on Eyghon, he suddenly grabbed his head and stumbled towards the counter.

"Mr. Giles," said Tara as she rushed towards him, along with Willow, Jenny, and the others with Buffy signalling the figure to stay where he was.

"Giles," said Willow and Xander.

"What's going on?" asked Jenny.

"Eyghon," said Giles with his eyes closed, "I can… I can see what he's doing and… oh God he's with Ethan now."

"Tara," said Buffy as she looked at the blonde, "is everything set?"

"Yeah," said Tara.

"Ethan's not my favourite person," said Giles, as he opened his eyes and walked towards the ritualistic symbols on the floor, "but dying at Eyghon's hands is something I would never wish for anyone. Let's begin."

Giles stood in the middle of the ritualistic symbols and started to chant passages from a book. He then closed his eyes while chanting and felt a pull on his soul, he felt the grin from Eyghon as he turned away from a surprised Ethan, and then ran out of the costume shop that the man was inhabiting. Giles knew that Eyghon would be compelled to come to him now that the demon was in passion of a living body; so now they waited.

It was ten minutes later that the doors to the library were pushed open with Giles, Tara, and Buffy standing up from their seats and facing the possessed Sarah. The both of them had asked Willow, Xander, and Jenny to head to the back exit of the library and wait for them there until they had freed Sarah. Now, the three of them faced a grinning Sarah who was growling at Giles.

"Rupert," said Sarah in a deep voice as Tara looked on horrified while her facial features changed to show ridges around her face, shining yellow eyes, blue sores on her forehead and neck, and her ears were now elongated, "so keen to die, aren't you?"

Sarah then looked at Tara, and Buffy.

"The shining star and the Slayer," said Sarah as she rushed towards Giles, "you first Rupert, and then them."

"Yea," said Buffy as she kicked out at Sarah, her feet connecting with the demonic face before Eyghon was pushed back, "I don't see that happening."

Buffy then looked at the book stack and shouted, "Oh, honey!"

"What?" asked Eyghon in Sarah's body who looked at Buffy, and then at the book stacks upon hearing a growl. She saw Angel jumped towards her from the shelves before he pushed her down to the floor and quickly wrapped his hands around her neck. Eyghon was punching Angel's face as hard as she could but he vampire's grip was only tightening. Tara could do anything but watch as Eyghon struggled while Angel pressed down and tightened his grip when there was a suddenly flash of light as Angel got up and stumbled back.

"Dear God," said Sarah as she panted while she looked around as Buffy and then Tara rushed to her side and picked her up to her feet and ran back to Giles. There they watched Angel screaming as his face was deforming, the demon within him battling Eyghon for control of Angel's body… Angel's dead body. Giles, Buffy, and Tara watched, with Sarah arm around her shoulder, at Angel screaming as his body writhed in pain when he suddenly stopped moving and stood still. The Vampire then screamed before there was coloured smoke that came out of his mouth and nose, smoke that vanished into the air.

"Angel?" asked Buffy as she cautiously approached the ensouled vampire.

"Yea," said Angel panting as he looked at Buffy, "and then at the others. It's me, Eyghon tried to fight the demon in me… well, I won."

"Good," said Buffy as she kissed Angel while Tara looked at her mother, and hugged her as tears started to fall form her eyes.

"I knew you'd come after me," said Sarah softly as she stroked the back of Tara's head while she looked at Giles. He was rubbing the back of his head nervously while he walked towards Sarah, and apologized.

"I'm here with Tara," said Sarah as she looked at Giles while Tara held on to her tightly, "that's what matters."

Giles nodded his head as he looked at Sarah close her eyes and then rest her head on her daughter's shoulder. He then headed to the back exit, and opened the door… calling in the other Scoobies and Jenny. Giles stood back while he watched them welcome Sarah back. He watched Sarah smile at Angel before shaking the vampire's hand, all the while Tara refused to let the older blonde go. The Watcher smiled at their joy before he looked down at the mark on his arm that caused all the event of this day; and he wished that he could have done so many things differently.

TBC.


	14. Chapter 14

**Tara and Sarah's Apartment, 0700 hours.**

Sarah woke up with the sound of the television hitting her ears; as she opened her eyes slowly, the woman found herself on the couch with Tara holding onto her tightly while sleeping with her head on her mother's shoulders. Sarah smiled before she kissed the top of Tara's head, and then lay her head gently on her daughters. Sarah then thought back to the memories she had of Eyghon when he had taken over her body; she saw horrors in her mind when he was in her... she saw Giles and his friends when they were much younger, she felt Eyghon's hatred and evil.

Just thinking about it made her soul quake.

It felt as if darkness was still in her body, and she knew that the only cure to stop the feeling of darkness from spreading was to meditate. But first, she needed to wake Tara up for school, and she needed to get ready for work; and it was then that she wondered what she was going to t ell Principal Snyder. Shaking her head, and then sighing, Sarah thought to herself that she'll take care of things as they come.

'These things happen in Sunnydale,' thought Sarah to herself as she started to awaken Tara gently, 'with the evil in this town, and the fact that most of the people seen to write it off, it would be easy to come up with a plausible explanation for what happened. I just hope I don't have to give a statement to the police… but then again, from what Buffy and Rupert have told me, the police here are inept.'

"Hey," said Tara softly as she looked up at Sarah while rubbing her eyes and giving off a small smile, "you're awake. Did you sleep well and… I mean of course you didn't sleep well, we were on the couch after what happened last night and…"

"I slept well, honey," said Sarah as she stroked the back of Tara's head, "had a few nightmares but those are expected with a demonic possession. I'll just be meditating after I get home from work and.."

"You wanna go work?" asked Tara as she slowly sat up and turned to face her mother.

"For one thing," smiled Sarah, "I just started and I doubt Principal Snyder's gonna give me the day off; and I don't think I want to stay at home alone… at least for now."

Tara was about to say something, however Sarah put her hand gently on her daughter's shoulder and told her that there was no way that Tara was skipping school to stay at home with her. Sarah giggled when Tara pouted her lips before she leaned forward and kissed her daughter's cheek. Sarah then told Tara to take her shower, while she makes some coffee and breakfast.

Tara nodded her head before she got up and headed to take her shower; in the meantime, Sarah got up and headed to the kitchen while wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, and giving off a yawn, before she started making the coffee.

It was nearly three weeks later that everything had fallen back to the routine of going to work, or classes. Giles hand apologized profusely to Sarah for everything that happened, with Sarah waving it off while saying that it was to be expected since they were living on a Hellmouth. She did tell Giles in private though that he needed to remember what he did as a reminder that something like that shouldn't happen again to him, or to anyone else.

"Have you talked to Willow about her powers?" asked Giles when he and Jenny came to see her a week ago, two weeks after the Eyghon incident. With the three of them knowing about the Slayer and the dangers in Sunnydale, they would hold their own meetings about the situation in Sunnydale away from Buffy and the others, who would be in class.

"Wait, Willow has powers?" asked Jenny shaking her head before she looked at Giles, and then at Sarah, "no, she doesn't."

"Sarah says that she can see Willow's potential to be a very powerful witch," said Giles as he looked at Jenny, and then turned to Sarah before telling her, "and I did ask her if she's been practicing the dark arts by herself, or when she was helping me research, and she said that she wasn't."

"She did say no," said Jenny as she looked at Sarah who was shaking her head.

"She is practicing," said Sarah, "I can feel her growing; she doesn't know it yet, but she will surpass both me and Tara. And while I'm all for young witches advancing to overtake those who came before, Willow's untrained. And when you put that power in the hands of someone who isn't trained to use it, then that's a recipe for disaster."

"You're speaking of Eyghon," said Giles.

"Sorry, Rupert," said Sarah, "but I saw what Eyghon saw, what he felt about you and your friends. You made a mistake, and you realize that mistake; but what if Willow releases something worse as a test of her magic. A test to see what she could do? With training, she could be the most powerful witch anyone of us has ever seen… but she will respect her powers. But if all she's doing now is learning from books, from research? Then she won't know the struggles that many have to go through to gain the type of power she already has. If she sees herself as superior to everyone else, then that's dangerous for everyone. You need to talk to her."

"She could be that powerful?" asked Jenny.

"She's already at a knifes edge," said Sarah, "even Tara can feel her power growing, but she's not as close to her as Buffy and Xander; and I know they'll say that it's Willow's choice if she wants to be trained or not. And I agree, it is her choice."

"But she needs to know what the choices are," said Jenny as she sat on a chair in the infirmary across from Sarah while Giles was pacing the floor.

"I think she'll want to be trained," said Sarah, "I know she wants to help Buffy, and the best way for her is to be trained. But Rupert, you need to talk to her about this. She sees you as her father-figure, and you need to come down on her now."

"If she becomes as powerful as you say," said Jenney as she looked at Sarah who nodded her head, before looking at Giles, "Rupert, if she comes so powerful that she refuses to listen to anyone… then she could do something that she'll regret. I'll be there when you tell her."

"Me too," said Sarah, "but you need to make the first move, Rupert."

"I supposed the both of you are correct," said Giles shaking his head while rubbing his temples, "but with all that's happening, it's nearly impossible to find some time to actually just sit down and…"

"It's just an excuse, Rupert," said Sarah with a kind smile, "you're afraid you'll hurt Willow."

"Maybe we could distract her in the meantime," said Jenny, "I need an assistant for my Computer Science class, and she's shown she has the stuff for that subject so… that could be a welcome distraction. Keeping her away from doing research on magic."

"But then again," said Sarah, "she could always use the computers to do research on magic."

"True," said Giles.

"We have to trust Willow that she wouldn't do research on her own," said Jenny, "I can't think of anything else and... well, maybe I could give her a project to develop her coding skills."

"That would be fantastic," said Giles.

"But talk to Willow about the other thing, Rupert," said Sarah, "I can ask Miss Harkness to send someone who could help train her, and you could ask her too since you know her as well."

"That would be the best thing," said Giles as he nodded his head.

 **Tara and Sarah's Apartment, 1900 hours.**

It was three weeks later, following attacks on Buffy and the just discovered new Slayer, Kendra by the Order of Taraka did the Scoobies find some time to breath. With Buffy being attacked, including a shooting at the school for which Sarah was called to help with a few injuries, including a grazing shot to the arm of a young man who saved Willow from being shot. She was busy that day as she and two other nurses helped the EMT's examine the students who were in the hallway before she rushed to the library where she fond and injured Buffy, and started to bandage the blonde young woman. That was when she, and then later Tara, met Kendra; which was a surprise. It was later on that night that they had defeated Spike and Drusilla who kidnapped Angel so that they could use the latter, who was Drusilla's sire, heal the mad vampire.

It was a few days after Kendra left, and the night that they found out from Angel that the contract that was given to the Order of Taraka was effectively cancelled since Spike was supposedly dead. That night, Buffy, Willow, Jenny, Xander, and Giles were at Sarah and Tara's apartment. The older blonde was glancing at her daughter when Willow sat next to her; the both of them recalling how excited she was that a boy seemed to be interested in the redhead... a boy by the name of Oz. Sarah saw Tara's aura fluctuate, and then the younger witch looked back at her mother and gave a small smile, and a shrug of her shoulders; as if she knew what her mother was thinking.

"Mrs Collins," said Buffy as she sat down next to Willow, while Xander was sitting at another area of the living room, while Jenny was seated next to Sarah, and Giles was pacing the carpet with his hands behind his back, "what's going on? You asked all of us here."

"Yeah," said Sarah as she glanced over at Giles, who took a deep breath before nodding his head.

"The three of us," said Giles as he looked at the Scoobies, "we'd have meeting of our own about the things that have been have been going on in the city, about the recent events with Spike, Drusilla, and even Angel… especially about the part where Sarah's right in not welcoming him into her apartment."

"Oookay," said Buffy shaking her head, "I've talk to Angel about his soul, and the curse and… and I guess we decided that we should try and stay separate and…. I mean… it's gonna be hard especially after what just happened and…"

"Which is why I've been going with you to change his bandages," said Sarah, "and while I'm glad you took my warning to heart, we're here so something else… or someone else."

"Who?" asked Xander as he looked around at Buffy, and Willow, and then at the other adults.

"Willow," said Giles, "have you been conducting research into magic on your own? Have you been reading up on the dark arts during research?"

"No," said Willow shaking her head while her eyes were wide open.

"Will," said Tara, trying to hide her disappointment that Willow was interested in another boy, as she leaned forward and told Willow that they weren't going to judge her. But it was important that they got the truth, "you're among friends here."

"You are, Willow," said Giles as Buffy and Xander looked at her, while Willow looked down at the carpet, "we're your friends and, we need to know if you've been dabbling with magic on your own."

"Maybe a teeny tiny bit?" squeaked Willow softly as she looked up at Giles, and then at Sarah and Jenny, "but it was just reading and.. and maybe a little experimenting here and there."

"A little experimenting never hurt anyone," said Buffy.

"True," said Xander as he snapped his fingers at Buffy, "just floating some pencils, and some stuff here and there, right?"

"Yeah," said Willow, "I mean I've also read some of the dark arts books and they're so cool but sound dangerous and…"

"Willow," said Giles as the redhead stopped talking and looked at the librarian, "Sarah's been telling me this for some time, but I've been unwilling to tell you that…. That…"

"It's just some experimenting, Giles," said Willow, "I mean I'm not hurting anyone and…"

"It's not about your hurting anyone, Willow," said Jenny.

"I'm worried you'll hurt yourself," said Sarah, "and without even knowing it, you'll hurt others."

"But.." said Willow, "you want me to stop?"

"It's too late to stop," said Sarah, "and you're someone who'll get more into magic if we told you to stop. Willow, I've been feeling your power growing for a long time."

"What?" asked Willow, not knowing to smile or be worried as she noticed the lack of any expression on Sarah's face, "I'm just studying.. I mean a little glamour here and there and…"

"That's how it starts," said Tara as Willow looked at her, as did Xander and Buffy, "I can feel your power growing too; Will, you could one day surpass me and momma without training."

"Huh?" asked a confused Willow as her mouth hung open.

Giles then told Willow and the others what he and the adults were discussion about the dangers of being an untrained witch; a witch who was capable of accessing vast, raw power. Giles told the redhead as Buffy walked over to her and put her hand on the redhead's shoulder that she had the power to possibly one day save the world, or destroy it.

"You could go either way," said Sarah.

"Then take away my powers," said Willow, "I mean I'm just experimenting, and I like it but if I can destroy the world then…."

"These powers, your magic," said Tara gently, "it's a part of you. Binding your powers away is like taking… no… more like excising a part of your soul. You won't be Willow.. I mean not the Willow that we know."

"And love," said Xander as tears gathered in Willow's eyes as she imagined the danger she could be.

"Rupert and I know a powerful witch in Devon," said Sarah as Willow looked at her, her arms and her bottom lip trembling, "we talked to her, and she agreed to send someone to start training you. Starting from basic magic…. you'll receive formal training. She'll live in Sunnydale, she'll work here somewhere."

"You'll still have school, of course," said Giles as Willow wiped her eyes and nodded her head, "but you'll be training with her for two hours at most a day. You'll have time to… hang out, and so with Buffy on patrol if you wish…. But you will be trained."

"And you'll have tests on what you've learnt," said Sarah, "Willow, this isn't like normal school where you can read ahead of the other class; you have to do exactly was the trainer tells you do. No going to advanced magic until you're able to control what she's taught you. Do you understand?"

"Yeah," said Willow nodding her head.

"You're gonna be a powerful witch one day," said Tara as Willow looked at her, "but you have to take it slow. Momma trained me for years, and I'm still training… it never stops."

"Can't you train me, Tara?" asked Willow.

"I can't," said Tara, "I mean I know you… my momma knows you, and it won't be right if we trained you. It has to be someone else, someone who could be your mentor and guide… because if it was any of us, then our relationship with you would get in the way of actually teaching you."

'And I wouldn't be able to keep my concentration,' thought Tara to herself as she looked away, and down to the carpet. It was then that Sarah held Tara's hand and squeezed gently… indicating to the young blonde witch that she'll find someone.

"This training would be good for you, Will," said Buffy, "I mean… you'll be a bad-ass witch."

"Most importantly," said Sarah as she looked away from Tara, "you'll have a respect for the magics; you'll understand that there's a responsibility in wielding this much power."

"That sounds familiar," said Xander with a grin.

"Well," said Jenny, "it's true."

"I'll do it," said Willow as she wiped her tears and smiled, "I wanna help Buffy and… and not destroy the world."

"Good," said Giles with relief on his face, "and I believe that Jenny has something else for you."

"To keep you busy when you're not practicing magic," said Jenny, "I'd like for you to be my teaching assistant. You'll help me with developing lessons for the week, and I'll also give you some coding exercises. Eventually I'd like for you to create a program, something that you're interested in that's not magic. We want you to develop your magic during the time you spend training, and the other times, we want you to just enjoy yourself. Find a programming project you want to do? I'll give you some stuff to start out with… but don't mix magic and this together. Do we have a deal?"

"Sweet," said the redhead with a huge grin on her face.

"How come we don't get the whole programming thing?" asked Buffy with a pout.

"Can you do advanced calculus?" asked Jenny while Xander chuckled.

"No," said Buffy as she glared at Xander, and then looked at Jenny, "but still.."

"You could always help me out at the infirmary after you're done with classes," said Sarah, "Xander too."

"Sounds cool," said Xander rubbing his hands together, "but you never know… I may be out with a girl or…. Let me just shut up and say, how about some pizza?"

"I could do with some pizza," said Sarah.

"Me too," said Tara as she got up to pick up the phone and then make an order.

"Fruit punch, please," said Giles when Tara asked what drinks everyone wanted, as everyone looked at the Watcher, and then at Buffy who stood up to stretch her arms over her head.

"Then I'm going patrolling after we eat," said Buffy with both Xander and Willow telling her that they would accompany her, as would Tara.

TBC.


	15. Chapter 15

**The Summers House, 1000 hours.**

Tara was walking behind Willow and Buffy while Xander's arm was around her shoulder as they talked about the lack of vampires during their patrol. Tara knew that Xander meant well by putting his arm around her shoulder, given that she had seen how his aura reacted to Cordelia when they returned back to the school after their encounter with who Xander referred to as 'worm-guy' from the Order of Taraka. She noticed their interactive aura's and saw the attraction that each shared for the other… even though they seemed to deny it to themselves; with Cordelia being her usual grating self, and Xander being… Xander. Tara made a mental note to talk to Xander later on given that with all that was going on in their lives, the way that Xander was acting with her right now was last on her list of things to care about.

'He's just doing it as a friend,' thought Tara to herself as she glanced at Xander's arm, 'he was attracted to me once, but something happened between him and Cordelia that his attention switched. Good for him… it's better that he moves on since, well, I have no idea how he'll take if he finds out I drive on the other side of the road; that I don't drive stick, or that I don't play 'shiver me timbers' which is just nuts since I once overheard Donnie telling Beth something about that… too bad we didn't have the good ol' internet then or… actually, it's better that I didn't know. Oh God, now I know… Tara, stop thinking. Think puppies, think Kittens… oh, maybe I'll get a kitten and name her Miss Kitty Fantastico. I wonder…. Ummm…. Look at Willow.'

Tara then looked at Willow, who was talking to Buffy excitedly about Oz, and wondered whether it would be better just to give up on trying to make anything happen. Tara thought that Willow was attractive, there was no mistake about that… but Tara saw the redhead's aura interacting with Oz and knew that she had no chance, other than to admire Willow from a distance.

'Hi, Willow,' thought Tara sarcastically to herself, 'I'm the one who has a crush on you… I look at you through hearts flying around my head like a crazy stalker. Oh Goddess, I'm a crazy stalker… stop, Tara. Bad, Tara… look at Buffy.'

Tara then looked at Buffy before sighing and then shaking her head.

'How about Xander?' thought Tara to herself as she looked at the laughing young man from the corner of her eyes, 'damn it, Tara. Stop it… just stop and take it slow. It'll happen… just slow down.'

"So the Taraka guys are really gone?" asked Willow as she looked at Buffy, a question that brought Tara out of her reverie.

"Angel confirmed it after the meeting at Giles' place," said Buffy as they turned and walked onto her pathway from the sidewalk. As they walked up to the porch, Tara told Buffy that she'll call Sarah and ask her to pick her, Willow, and Xander up. Nodding her head, Buffy walked over to the door, and was about to open it when she heard something falling inside with a thud.

"I thought your mom was working late?" asked Willow as Buffy nodded her head. The blonde Slayer then told Willow and the others to stay outside while she went to check what was going on. Tara and the others saw Buffy open the door gently before she quietly stepped in while the others took a step back. It was a few seconds later that they heard footsteps coming towards the door which opened to Buffy motioning at the other to come into the house. Once they walked into the foyer, Xander closed the door behind them while Tara and Willow listened to Buffy telling them that her mother had a date in the house.

It was then that an embarrassed Joyce walked to the foyer with a brown haired man by her side. Tara could see that Joyce was very happy, although slightly nervous after telling everyone that she thought Buffy wouldn't be back so soon from the movies.

"You know what?" said the man as he looked at the newcomers, "I'm making some crispy pizza's for dinner and all of you are invited… oh, where are my manners. I'm Ted."

"That is Xander," said Joyce as she pointed at the young man who gave a little wave, "there's Willow, Tara."

"Hi," said Tara when Ted looked at her. She raised her hand mid-way to give a wave when she noticed absolutely nothing in his eyes. Tara forced herself to finish her wave as Joyce then introduced Buffy, who Tara could tell did not like the older man at all, to Ted once again. While Tara expected that from the Slayer, especially since he was someone that Joyce admitted she had been seeing for the past few nights without telling Buffy; what Tara didn't expect was nothing coming off Ted.

She tried to looked for an aura, but she found nothing at all as he walked towards the kitchen with an excited Xander who was rubbing his hands together at the talk of food that Ted was getting ready. And Willow was excited when she heard that Ted worked at one of the top computer companies in Sunnydale as a salesman.

"Tara, come on to the kitchen," said Joyce, "his cooking is really good."

"Ummm… Mrs. Summers," said Tara, "could I call my mom first and tell her that I'm here, and that she could come pick me up?"

"Yeah, of course," said Joyce nodding her head, "but you have to eat something first before you leave."

"I will," Tara replied. "I'll be right there."

Joyce then held onto Buffy's hand before she took her daughter into the dining room. It was then that Buffy noticed the look on Tara's face, and then she asked Joyce to go ahead, that she would meet them in the kitchen.

"And I'll wait for Tara," said Buffy as Joyce nodded her head before letting her go and heading towards the kitchen, while Buffy walked towards Tara who was looking right at her with a face she had seen before. It was the same expression Tara had when she first saw Angel.

"Tara?" asked Buffy as she gently guided her to the living room, "I know that face, you saw something. Didn't you? Is Ted a vampire?"

"I…. I… Buffy, I didn't see anything," said Tara as she looked at Buffy while she looked over the blonde Slayer's shoulders at the sitting room, making sure that they were alone. She then looked at Buffy who looked back at her confused.

"Then he's not a vampire?" asked Buffy, "just someone I'm getting the wiggin's from?"

"Buffy, you don't understand," said Tara, "I didn't see anything... no aura, no feelings from him… even vampires have aura's, demons have aura's… Ted has nothing."

"What are you saying?" asked Buffy as she looked back at the sitting room, beyond which was the kitchen. Buffy then looked at Tara again and repeated her question.

"I.. I don't think he's human," said Tara, "I.. I don't know what he is. He's got no aura, Buffy… I have never experienced this before. Everything has an aura, from humans to demons, to vampires… but Ted? There's nothing."

"Tara," whispered Buffy as she stepped towards the blonde, "are you absolutely sure?"

"I see into your eyes and I can tell that you're alive," said Tara, "I can see your aura, I can tell you that you're worried… and I can also feel how worried you are, how scared you are, how protective you are… but from Ted? It's like a hole with nothing there. No aura, no emotions, nothing."

"I need to get mom away from him," said Buffy as she ran towards the kitchen with Tara close behind her. Tara was telling Buffy that Joyce wouldn't believe them, that she was attracted to Ted.

"No," said Buffy as she stormed into the kitchen where Ted was telling Xander how he made one of his fried pizza's. She saw that Willow and Joyce were standing next to him, while Xander was standing across from him with the kitchen island between them.

"Buffy," said Joyce as she looked up once she saw Buffy storming into the kitchen before she walked around the island, and then behind Joyce and grabbed the surprised Ted by the collar of his shirt. She then, in one fluid motion, turned him around and pushed him to another side of the kitchen, pushing him against the counter nearest the fridge, "Buffy!"

"Who are you?" demanded Buffy while Joyce was trying to pull her daughter back, "who the hell are you?"

"Buffy," said Joyce as she grabbed onto Buffy's arm while the Slayer was glaring at Ted, "Buffy! Let him go."

"Get out of this house," said Buffy through gritted teeth as she ignored her mother, as well as the sounds of Willow and Xander while Tara looked on in worry as she watched Buffy's aura turn to the colour that she knew represented rage, "I don't know what you are, but you… will… stay… away."

Buffy then let go of Ted while the man was trying to ask Buffy what she was talking about. As she stepped back while continuing to glare at Ted, Joyce too was demanding to know what Buffy was thinking.

"You said you stopped all this fighting and.. Buffy, why did you just pick a fight with Ted?" asked Joyce as she stood in-between Buffy and Ted, "Buffy Ann Summers, I want an explanation from you right now!"

"Buff?" asked Willow as she looked at the back of Buffy's panting body before she looked at Tara who had her hand on her chest and was standing with her mouth open. She then looked at a concerned Xander who put down the pizza he was holding onto the table.

"Buffy!" shouted Joyce as she shook her daughter who was panting while she looked at a terrified Ted, "I… I want you to go to your room and…"

"Mom," said Buffy once she switched her eyes to look from Ted, to Joyce, "you don't understand, there's….."

"Joyce, honey," said Ted, "I think I should go and give you and Buffy some time alone. Maybe she sees me as a threat; as someone who's going out with you. It's understandable, how about all of us go for some mini-golf tomorrow when we could get to know one another."

"And by then, Buffy will be ready with an apology and…" said Joyce as she frowned at Buffy.

"Who are you?" asked Buffy as she looked over Joyce's shoulder and glared at Ted.

"Buffy," said Joyce shaking her head, "I want you to…"

"Who are you?" asked Tara as everyone looked at her, including a surprised Buffy who was shaking her head, silently asking Tara to not do anything. But there was no stopping Tara as she stepped forward, "Ted, who… who are you? Wha… what are you?"

"Tara?" asked Willow and Joyce together while Buffy looked over at Xander, and nodded her head towards the blonde witch. Taking the signal, Xander slowly moved towards Tara until he was standing right next to her.

"Tara?" asked Joyce as she looked at the tall blonde with confusion on her face, "what are you talking about?"

"Joyce," said Ted, "she's Buffy's friend, and just trying to defend her and…"

"Oh God," said Tara as she stepped back with her eyes wide open.

"Tara?" asked Willow and Xander together.

"I tried to look deep," said Tara as she looked at Ted, "I… I thought maybe your lack of aura was because of something I never encountered but... but… oh God, I tried to look deeper but… but I couldn't find it… where's your soul?"

"Tara?" asked Joyce as she narrowed her eyebrows at Tara, and then she looked at Buffy who pulled Joyce behind her, and then pushed her towards Willow who grabbed Joyce, who herself was trying to get to Buffy when she stopped and opened her eyes wide.

"Will," said Buffy as she turned to the redhead, "get mom..."

"Buffy!" shouted Joyce as Ted stepped forwards as Buffy turned to face him, and just as she did… Ted wrapped a hand around her throat before picking her up off the floor. Xander told Willow to get Joyce out of there while he picked up a cast iron skillet that Ted was going to use to fry up the pizza's. He then pushed Tara out of his way while raising the skillet over his head.

"One move and I snap her neck like a twig," said Ted as he pressed down on Buffy's throat with strength that surprised the Slayer. Buffy gritted her teeth, pulled her legs up and them kicked out at Ted's face. She hit the side of his jaw, but all that happened was his face snapped to the left, and then she looked at Ted move his head back towards her, "I was doing to ask Joyce to be my wife in exchange for your lives. I love her, and I want to be with her; but since you are going to be such a cruel step-daughter, maybe I should kill you and your friends right here and then take Joyce…"

"Shut up," said Xander who swung the skillet down towards Ted's head. However, Ted caught Xander's hand with his free hand, and then pushed him into Tara; the both of them just falling onto one another, and then crashing to the wall behind them.

Willow rushed to help Xander and Tara get back to keeping their balance while Joyce just stood there transfixed as she watched her daughter kicking out at Ted while she was getting strangled.

"Stop!" shouted Joyce, "I'll go with you… let Buffy go… I'll go with you, I'll go."

Ted smiled at Buffy before throwing her to one side, she hit the wall behind the island and then fell onto the floor. Ted then walked towards a tearful Joyce while telling her that they would be happy when Ted suddenly felt as if he couldn't move anymore. Joyce looked at Ted who was only two steps away from her.. and his outstretched hand was only a few inches from the side of her face. Joyce then looked behind Ted's outstretched hand and saw Tara standing behind the counter with one hand outstretched in front of her, and her face in deep concentration as she looked at Ted.

"What are you doing?" asked Ted as he looked over his shoulder at Tara, "oh, you naughty girl. I see where Buffy gets her rebellious streak from; it's all of you. You're all such a bad influence on her. I guess we have to fix that before Joyce and I have the life we've always wanted and…"

"Xander," said Willow as she was kneeling over the slowly awakening Buffy, "hit him."

"Hey," said Xander as he picked up the cast iron skillet again and rushed over to Ted's side, and asked Joyce to duck, "I never liked your pizza's anyway."

Xander used both of his hands to gab the handle while he swung the skillet as hard as he could into Ted's forehead. Joyce screamed as Ted stepped back, while Tara grabbed her head and released her hold on Ted, saying that there was something wrong… he was too strong. Xander backed up before grabbing Joyce and then moving her away until they were behind the island as Willow helped Buffy stand up. Joyce gasped when she looked at the small piece of flesh that was hanging from the side of his forehead where Xander had hit him.

"Really? Are you kidding me? A terminator?" asked Xander looking in surprise at the metal under the hanging skin while the other Scoobies moved together behind the island.

"Ted?" asked Joyce as she brought her hands over her mouth.

"Forget them, Joyce," said Ted as he reached out while walking towards them, "I love…"

"Get out of my house," said Buffy as she jumped over the island and landed on the other side before ducking to avoid the punch that was heading her way. She told Willow and the others to get her mother out of the kitchen while she kicked out at Ted's chest. However, Joyce didn't want to leave when she saw Ted fly back and land on the kitchen sink before getting off and then rushing at Buffy. Joyce saw Buffy getting hit before she was thrown back onto the counter, and then she heard Buffy scream. The Slayer rolled off the counter just as Ted's fist smashed into the counter top.

"Dear God," said Joyce as Xander and Willow pushed her with Tara's help to the hallway that led to the sitting room. But Joyce was resisting as best she could while shouting for Buffy who just got hit again before the blonde Slayer jumped up and kicked the side of Ted's head. Ted then stepped back a bit while Buffy quickly picked up the skillet that Xander had use to hit Ted earlier.

"Get.. out! of my house!" shouted Buffy as she swung the iron skillet up, and then across Ted's face. She then hit him one more time when his face started sparking; the hit throwing him over the island as Joyce and the others ran further into the hallway while Buffy jumped over the island and landed on Ted's chest and looked at the metallic face that continued to spark.

"I… I…." said Ted's voice as the lights that were blinking behind the wiring started to go off one by one. Soon all the lights were off and Buffy then dropped the skillet that was in her hand while she was panting as she looked at the robot that wanted to be in a relationship with her mother. It was then that Buffy felt a hand on her shoulder, a hand that brought Buffy back to the present as she looked at Willow. Buffy then looked at Tara and Xander, and between them was Joyce looking back at her with her eyes wide open.

"Will… Will," said Buffy looking at the redhead as she got off Ted's chest, "can… can you.. find out if there's a real Ted and… and we'll see if.. if he's still alive."

"Yeah," replied Willow as she looked at the machine laying on the floor while Buffy walked towards her mother slowly, all the while wondering what she'd say.

"Xander," said Buffy softly, "can you call Giles?"

"Yeah," said the young man as he ran to the living room.

"I'll call momma," said Tara as Buffy nodded her head, "you're injured."

"Mom?" asked Buffy as Joyce took an unsteady step towards her, "I…."

"What.. what?" asked Joyce as she looked at Ted and then at Buffy, and then at the retreating back of Tara, and back to Buffy, "Buffy, what's going on? How did you….? And Ted? I mean… Please, explain it to me?"

"Mom," said Buffy as she looked into her mother's eyes, and took in a deep breath, "I'm the Slayer."

TBC.


	16. Chapter 16

**The Summers House, 2215 hours.**

Joyce heard what Buffy just told her, but it was as if she was hearing it from a great distance. She looked at Buffy whose lips were moving while she held on to the older woman's shoulders. Joyce then shifted her eyes and looked past her daughter into the kitchen, and then down at the body of the man lying in front of the hallway.

'A machine, not a man,' thought Joyce to herself while her heart was beating rapidly. She looked at Buffy who was still moving her lips while Joyce taught about how hard Ted hit Buffy, and then how hard Buffy hit Ted. Then the word that Buffy just said kept on repeating in her mind; Slayer. She kept on thinking to herself that Buffy said she was the Slayer; Joyce didn't know what that meant, she knew that it was the name of a band as she then thought that Buffy meant she was part of a band that she formed with Willow and the others. But didn't explain a lot of things; that didn't explain how Buffy learned to fight like that since she was never taught, that didn't explain why Tara said the things she said, and that certainly didn't explain how Willow, Tara, and Xander were so calm and collected… to Joyce, it felt as if they had experienced all of this before.

Joyce's mind was trying to rationalize what just happened as she walked past Buffy who stepped to one side and let her take the few steps to see Ted's body. She placed a hand on the wall as she looked down at the metal side of Ted's face, and then she turned around and put her hands over her mouth and gasped while her back was on the hallway wall as she looked into the eyes of her daughter who was holding onto her again.

"Mom, mom," said Buffy as she looked at her wide eyed mother just as Tara ran back in with Xander.

"Momma's on the way," said Tara as she looked at a worried Buffy, and then at Joyce whose eyes were still wide open. In the meantime, Xander told Buffy that Willow was using her computer to check up on Ted, and that he already talked to Giles… and he was on the way. Tara gently put a hand on Joyce's shoulder after Buffy nodded at Xander, and then her other hand was holding onto Joyce's hand to comfort her. She could see that Joyce was in shock over what she had just seen, and her aura showed as such as the older blonde looked at Tara.

"Buffy," said Tara as she nodded towards the sitting room at the other end of the hallway, "we need to get Mrs. Summers seated. Ummm… Xander? Can you get her some water?"

"Yeah," replied Xander as he rushed past the three women who walked towards the sitting room, and then into the living room where Willow was working on Buffy's computer.

Buffy and Tara helped Joyce take a seat on the couch in the living room, and the Slayer sat next to her mother just as Xander rushed in with a glass of water and handed it to Buffy.

"Mom," said Buffy gently as she reached for, and then held, Joyce's hand in hers. Buffy saw Joyce look at her and then at her hand Buffy wrapped the older woman's fingers around the glass, "take a drink, mom."

Joyce, while her hands were trembling, brought the glass to her lips before she put down her hands… now holding the glass with both her hands as she looked at Buffy.

"Sl… Slayer?" asked Joyce as she looked at Buffy, "wh… what?"

"Mom," said Buffy, "I'm a vampire Slayer. Do you remember Hemery? The gym burning down? I…. I said it was vampires and…"

"No," said Joyce shaking her head, "no…. Buffy… no."

"It's true," said Buffy as the others looked on, "mom, a Slayer is a girl… one girl… well, now there's two… in all the world given the strength and the power to fight vampires. I'm one of them and…"

"Buffy," said Joyce shaking her head.

"She's done a lot of good, Mrs. S," said Xander as he rubbed the back of his head, "Tara, Willow, and I've been helping her."

"Mrs. Summers," said Tara as she kneeled down in front of Joyce, "there a lot in this world that most people either don't know about, or they just choose to ignore it. You must have seen things that don't make sense in this city. The gangs?"

"Barbeque fork killers," said Xander.

"PCP?" said Buffy.

"Copycats," said Willow as she turned on the seat she was sitting on and looked at them.

"Mom," said Buffy as she gave the glass that was trembling in Joyce's hands to Tara, who then placed it on a side table, Buffy then held both of her hands and told her that this was her destiny, her duty.

"It's not true," said Joyce as she pulled back her hands from Buffy, "it's not true."

"Mom," said Buffy, "haven't you ever wondered where the blood on my clothes came from? All those so-called fights? Or… or why I come back late at night. Mom, my duty is to fight the things that harm others; the vampires, demons, praying mantis lady's."

"That was one time," said Xander as Tara looked at Xander in surprise.

"I'll tell you later," said Willow as Tara looked at her in confusion before they all looked at Joyce and Buffy.

"Mom, I know this is a lot to take in," said Buffy, "but it's the truth. You saw what just happened, he hit me with everything he had.. and I survived. Mom, you saw he was a robot, and believe me when I say that my hand and feet still hurt from hitting him. I'm still alive, mom. I'm here… I'm always here. This is what I have to do."

"Have.. have you tried not being a Slayer?" asked Joyce as Buffy gave a small smile.

"It doesn't work like that, mom," said Buffy, "it's a calling. I can't not be a Slayer. Do you remember parent-teacher's day? You held an axe against a guy you thought was disfigured? You rescued me? Do you remember?"

"Yeah," replied Joyce.

"His name is Spike," said Buffy, "he's a vampire whose been trying to kill me and…"

"The Police said that it was a gang on PCP and…"

"That's the cover story, mom," said Buffy, "think about it, mom. Would you want to tell anyone that you were hunted down by vampires and be laughed out of town? Or would you just say that it was caused by a gang?"

"Gang, I suppose," said Joyce shaking her head as she looked at Tara, and then at Xander, and Willow, and then back at Buffy, "can't you just call the police? Let them deal with it?"

"They don't know the first thing they need to do, mom," said Buffy, "I'm guessing that even Snyder knows what's going on. I won't be surprised if he was involved in the cover-up. Look, all those fights I've been in? It was against vampires, or a demon, or something else that wants to end the world, mom. The police can't.. or won't, do anything."

"But you're alone and…"

"I have my friends," said Buffy as she looked at Tara, Xander, and Willow. She then looked at Joyce again and smiled, "and I have…."

"Buffy!" shouted Willow as Buffy looked up while Willow got up from her chair and headed towards her. It was a few seconds later that the group heard the sounds of thuds, and soon they saw a damaged Ted limping through the hallway while Joyce gasped.

"Joyce," said Ted in a broken robotic voice, "come with me, I love you and…."

"Stay away," said Joyce as Buffy took a step forward just as Joyce grabbed her arm. Buffy turned and looked at Joyce saying that she needed to end this. Joyce nodded her head while looking worried at her daughter who turned and ran towards the limping Ted. She then jumped and shoulder slammed herself into Ted, who then stumbled back. Buffy then ducked a punch before she went behind him and then wrapped her arm around Ted's neck, while he put a hand under Ted's chin.

Tara, Xander, and Willow took Joyce to the living room and Buffy screamed and pulled hard. Buffy saw Ted's arms trembling as she pulled his chin up. She gripped so fighting that she broke her fingers through his artificial skin, and past the wires, and then she gripped what would be the metallic version of a bone. Buffy grunted as she pulled harder and harder until sparks were flying from the exposed side of his face, and the neck. She could feel her hand burn and winced as some materials inside were causing cuts on the top of her hands.

It was a few seconds later that the Slayer pulled his entire head off, and then twisted it.. decapitating the machine while she was panting, and her hands bleeding just as the front door slammed open.

"Oh my God," said Sarah as she looked at Buffy, and then at Joyce and the others who were in the living room; Joyce was being held back by Tara and Xander. Once the sounds of the fighting had stopped, they let Joyce go as she and Sarah, who was carrying a bag with her, ran to Buffy whose hands were cut, and slightly burned. She dropped the mechanical head and faced it away from her mother while she held Buffy's hands. Sarah told Joyce to get Buffy to the couch while she took out some materials from her bag.

All Buffy could do was look back at the robot and say, "you're terminated."

TBC.


	17. Chapter 17

**The Summers Residence, 2230 hours.**

Buffy sat down on the couch while Joyce was standing over the kneeling Sarah who was holding Buffy's right hand, the hand that was cut and burned, in her own hand while taking something out of her bag. The Joyce then looked at the decapitated robot head, and then at the body, and back to Buffy while wondering how strong someone would have to be to do something like that. Joyce told herself that Buffy was right, she had seen the blood stains on her clothes, and put that to her fights that would be reported to her from the school.

She never believed that it could be something as unbelievable as vampires. And it was then she remembered what happened at Hemery High back in Los Angeles. Joyce remembered Buffy behind jail at the precinct for burning the gym down, Joyce remembered that she and Hank were there when Buffy was telling everyone that vampires had attacked the dance and she had no choice, she did what she did to save people.

As Joyce looked at Buffy now, the blonde haired girl who was wincing in pain from something that Sarah was dabbing on her hand, Joyce thought back to when she and Hank were told by the D.A that Buffy would need to be given a psychiatric evaluation since she seemed to continue talking about vampires attacking the students.

It was the same thing that Buffy would tell Joyce and Hank when they were in the room during her questioning.

Joyce remembered the look of desperation in Buffy's eyes, hoping that she and Hank would believe her. But they never did, since what she was saying sounded impossible. Her story was so farfetched to be believable that when the results came in from the evaluation, Joyce really did believe her daughter had a psychotic break.

Joyce remembered the day that she and Hank said goodbye to their sobbing daughter who continued saying why they didn't believe her; that the vampires were real, that Merrick had been killed by them. Joyce remembered crying as she watched Buffy getting pulled away by four large orderlies while she was reaching out for her mother.

And then the door to the restricted wing of the Asylum closed.

And she couldn't hear Buffy anymore.

It was a month later that Hank left Joyce, and she was left picking up the pieces of her life. She would visit Buffy every day, and eventually Buffy's story changed. She hadn't seen the vampires, that she didn't know what she had seen. It was nearly a year later that Buffy was released from the asylum, and the two of the moved to Sunnydale to start a new life.

And then came the reports from school about Buffy's fighting. Joyce never wanted to believe that Buffy could do that once again, but she wasn't surprised by it. She heard that places like an asylum could change people after they leave, so she tried to keep Buffy safe and comfortable. Joyce felt that over the several months of being in Sunnydale, the two of them had gotten closer; closer than they were before the whole asylum incident.

But she'd still get reports of Buffy fighting in school. She remembered during the interrupted Parents Teacher Day that Snyder told her Buffy was a troublemaker. She didn't like the man, but she knew that Buffy was fighting... Joyce told him so and turned the tables on him to say that maybe the school had bullies who were trying to harm Buffy, and she was defending herself.

That's what she wanted to believe, at least.

But not for a second, as Joyce looked on silently while Sarah was wrapping Buffy's hand in a cream coloured bandage, did the older blonde believe that Buffy's fights were with vampires, and demons, and robots.

"Buffy?" asked Joyce gently as she sat down next to the Slayer on the couch while Sarah closed the bandage. It was just then that they looked at the door slamming open again as Giles rushed in with Miss Calendar, who he was having dinner with in his apartment, and looked around before he set his eyes on the injured Buffy.

"Oh dear lord," said the Watcher as he rushed into the living room with Jenny who also noticed the decapitated body which had Willow kneeling next to it, with Tara and Xander standing around it.

"Oh my God," said Jenny as she pointed at the body, which made Giles look at the body lying in the sitting room, and took off his glasses when he saw Willow pull back the skin and then look into the body.

"Wow!" exclaimed Willow as she looked at the parts inside the robot, "whoever designed Ted is.. wow. This is far ahead of its time and…"

"Will," said Buffy as Willow looked up and noticed everyone looking at her.

"He was an insane robot man, but his design is amazing," squeaked Willow as the sides of Jenny's lips went up before she walked towards Willow and saw what she was pointing at in the body. In the meantime, Tara smiled as she saw Willow start talking about technical specifications to Jenny before she walked back to Buffy with Xander. They watched as Sarah put some cream on the slightly singed part of Buffy's arm that was wrapped around Ted's neck earlier, and in the way of the sparks that erupted just before his head was pulled off.

"There we go," said Sara as she looked up at Buffy, who thanked her before looking behind her at Willow. The blonde reminded Willow that they needed to know where was the real Ted, and that she could look through the robot later; that it shouldn't be a danger to them now since it was destroyed.

"We just need to get it out of the house," said Buffy.

"I live alone, so we can put this in my basement," said Miss Calendar as she looked at Buffy, and then at Willow, "and this could be a project for you when you're not training. Taking the robot apart and see what makes him tick, maybe find a way to base a new technology with what you find here; it'll work with your interest in computer science."

"You'll help?" asked Willow.

"You kidding?" asked Jenney as she looked at the robot and then back up at Willow, "oh yeah I'm helping."

AS Willow chuckled before getting to the laptop, Buffy looked at Joyce and was about to speak when the older blonde interrupted her daughter.

"Does everyone know about you being this Slayer, Buffy?" asked Joyce.

Buffy looked at Sarah who smiled back at her, and then at Jenny, and then at Giles who nodded his head before turning to look at Joyce again, "yeah, mom. Well, just everyone in this house; and Angel."

"This friend of yours that you talk about?" asked Joyce.

"Yea," replied Buffy who was suddenly unsure how to tell her mother that she was in love with a two-hundred-year old vampire, "my friend."

"Mrs. Summers," said Giles as he took a step forward, "there are a few things that you should know. The Earth is…"

Giles started telling Joyce the words that Willow and Xander had heard before, about the world being older than anyone thought, about the demons being the masters of the Earth, about how darkness reigned, and then about the mortals who drove the demons back to their own dimensions. He told the stunned Joyce about the remaining vestiges of those ancient beings, he told her about the existence of magic, of demons, vampires.

"The Slayer was created to fight and hold back the darkness," said Giles as Joyce just stared at him, and then at Buffy who gave her a small smile, and then at Sarah who held Joyce's hand, "Buffy is the Slayer, well.. there is another one who returned to her home; her name is Kendra. But Buffy is here with us."

"Mrs. Summers," said Jenny as she walked, and then stood next to Giles, "there's more."

"More?" asked Joyce as she looked at Buffy who placed her bandaged hand on her lap, and nodded her head, "what could be worse than the real existence of vampires, monsters, demons, and finding out that my daughter is supposed to be a fighter.. well, one of two anyway, who fights and kills these things?"

"This city is on top of a nexus of mystical energy," said Jenny, "the walls between dimensions are the weakest here and, and this energy attracts vampires, and every dark thing you can think of to this city."

"It's called a Hellmouth, Joyce," said Sarah as Joyce looked at her, "and it's exactly as the name implies. We're sitting over something that if opened? Will bring hell to this world, or this world will fall into hell."

"Either way," said Buffy, "there's going to be hell involved in some way."

"Can't we just move or…."

"We can't, mom," said Buffy shaking her head.

"Buffy's the guardian of this Hellmouth," said Giles, "and I know this must seem like you're being overloaded with information; but we've been keeping this from you to protect you. The further you are from the supernatural the better we thought it would be."

"I found something," said Willow as everyone turned to looked at her, "I hacked into his employment records and I have an address. It's Ted's house, maybe we could find him there?"

"Xander," said Giles after Willow had given them the address, which was about fifteen minutes away by car, "you're with me, let's go find out if the real Ted is safe and sound."

Xander nodded his head before walking out of the door, Sarah telling the man to go ahead and that she'll explain things to Joyce. As Giles drove off with Xander, Buffy told Joyce that Giles was her Watcher. Smiling when her mother looked confused, Buffy explained what a Watcher's role was before saying that Giles was active in training and helping her with the researching, as was Willow, Tara, and Xander.

"How can there be two Slayers?" asked Joyce, "I mean Mr. Giles said that there was supposed to be only one… you… but then there were two. So… how is that possible?"

"The… the next Slayer is activated when the previous one… well… dies," said Buffy as Joyce looked at her daughter with her mouth hanging open as she thought about what Buffy just said.

"You… you died?" asked Joyce, the woman's voice making Buffy grimace, "when did you die? Why didn't tell me you died?"

"I'm okay now, mom" said Buffy, "I'm alive and that's what matters, right?"

"Yes, but…" said Joyce as Buffy interrupted her by saying that the vampire that killed her was dead and gone.

"I mean really dead… as in dead-dead," said Buffy, "dust-o, you know... gone poof. He's not coming back ever again. And Xander's the one who brought me back to life with CPR, and I've got my friends to help me.. and now… now I've got you."

"Oh God," exclaimed Joyce as she put her hands over her mouth and her eyes opened wide; it finally crashed down on Joyce's head that Buffy was telling the truth all those years ago, "Hemery…. The asylum."

"Mom," said Buffy as she realized what her mother was thinking, and she quickly shook her head, "no, it wasn't your fault."

"You were put into an asylum, Buffy," said Joyce as her eyes started to get wet while Sarah and Tara looked at each other, unsure of what to say, "I didn't believe you… we didn't believe you and.. and we stood by while you were put into the asylum."

"It wasn't your fault, mom," said Buffy as she kept the lump forming in her throat down while she watched the tears gathering in Joyce's eyes, "really, it wasn't your fault. I mean come on… I was telling you about vampires and…"

"And I watched you be taken away," said Joyce.

"Buffy," said Sarah, "could you, Tara, and Willow grab some tea or coffee for us? I'd like to talk to Joyce?"

"Sure," said Buffy as Joyce wiped her eyes before the younger blonde leaned forward to kiss her mother on her cheeks before whispering that what happened wasn't her fault. Buffy and the others walked to the kitchen, leaving only Sarah and Jenny with Joyce in the living room. Jenny sat down next to Joyce while Sarah kneeled down on the carpet telling her that what happened to Buffy wasn't her fault.

"I've lived with the supernatural my whole life," said Sarah as Joyce looked at her, "so I know it's hard to believe, for ordinary people, what's out there. You acted naturally, Joyce."

"Yea," replied Jenny.

"There's more that you need to know," said Sarah holding Joyce's hand, "but we can talk about that tomorrow. For now, you have the knowledge that Buffy's a Slayer to deal with, and we'll help you come to terms with that."

"Yeah," said Jenny, "it'll take some time, but you'll be alright."

It was forty minutes later, while Buffy was sitting next to Joyce and the others surrounded her, that Giles returned with Xander. Everyone stopped talking as they turned and looked at the ashen faces of the two men. Giles waited until Xander closed the door behind him, and then walked into the living room and told the large group what they found in Ted's house; specifically, in his basement.

"Four dead bodies of women?" asked Joyce stunned as Buffy held onto her hand tightly.

"We don't know what happened to the real Ted, and…"

"I was continuing my checks," said Willow as she recounted what she found after Buffy asked her to find whatever she could about Ted following giving her mother some tea, "the real Ted was a sick man…. I mean medically… not in the head. Anyway, I found divorce papers; his wife left him and.. and I guess he must have built the robot to be a better Ted?"

"Willow already told us," said Buffy nodding her head while looking at Giles, "his wife kinda looked like mom."

"So he did what?" asked Xander waving his arms about, "date those women and keep them in his basement?"

"Yea," said Tara who shuddered, "and Mrs Summers was going to be…"

"Not anymore," said Joyce as she looked at Buffy who gave her a small smile.

"I think we should leave," said Sarah as she stood up, "give Joyce and Buffy some time alone. Buffy, I'll see you in the infirmary during your free period."

"Can't I just get a letter from you saying that I'm too injured to go to school?" asked Buffy as she looked at Sarah, her eyes pleading as Joyce chuckled while Sarah arched an eyebrow at the Slayer.

"No," said Joyce while Sarah nodded towards Joyce while telling Buffy to listen to her mother.

"But I write with this hand," whined Buffy as she put up her bandaged hand, "I mean, I can't take notes so there's no reason to…."

"I can take notes for you, Buffy," said Willow nodding her head excitedly.

"Will," exclaimed Buffy as Xander and Tara chuckled; the young man telling Buffy that there was no way she was going to skip school since they had to face that 'nightmare' tomorrow, "but…"

"Momma," said Tara as Buffy looked at Tara, the voice of reason, with hope in her eyes that the blonde witch would convince Sarah, "maybe you should give Buffy a break."

"Thank you," said Buffy looking over at Tara who grinned back at her before continuing.

"I mean, she can't help you in the infirmary with her bandaged hand anyway," said Tara as Buffy released a 'hey!' from her lips.

"Fine," chuckled Sarah, "you get the free period to yourself tomorrow."

"It's not fair," mumbled Buffy as the others prepared to leave, "wait, what are we gonna do about Ted? I mean the robot Ted?"

"I can take it with us," said Giles, "put it in the back seat, but I will need Xander's help."

"We'll put it in my basement," said Jenny nodding her head.

After plans were made, and the robot dragged to Giles' car. Everyone left, leaving Buffy and Joyce alone. Once Buffy closed the door, she turned to Joyce who hugged her daughter; asking her to telling her everything tomorrow. Joyce whispered into Buffy's ear that she just wanted to hold her daughter.

"I'm good with that, mom," replied Buffy as they stood in the lit foyer.

TBC.


	18. Chapter 18

**The Summers House, 2300 hours; one week later.**

Angel stood in front of Giles, Jenny, Sarah, and Joyce in the latter's living room while Buffy and the Scoobies were out patrolling. Earlier that day, without letting Buffy know, he approached Giles at the school library and asked for a meeting. That there was something urgent he wanted to talk to him, Jenny, Joyce, and Sarah about in regards to his relationship with Buffy.

With his hands in his pockets while standing in front of Giles and the other women, Angel was about to open his mouth to speak. But he didn't, instead he frowned and started pacing the carpet while Giles and the others looked on confused.

In the meantime, Angel recalled a defining moment that occurred a week ago.

 **One Week Earlier.**

With the latest threat by Spike and Drusilla, in the form of the Judge, a demon that was defeated hundreds of years ago by cutting its body, and then burying the pieces at different points around the world. Buffy and the Scoobies, with Angel's help, had done everything they could to prevent the Judge being rebuilt for what should have been Drusilla's birthday.

But they failed.

Buffy had a dream about the location of the judge; the factory that was being used as Spike and Drusilla's lair. Angel and Buffy told the others that they were going to conduct a recon mission to find out how close the two vampires were to recreating the Judge. They went to the factory, they were found by a fully reassembled Judge, then they fought their way out of the factory with Buffy getting injured in the process. The two of them ran through the rain being chased by vampires, eventually eluding them when the two lovers ducked through a manhole cover and into the sewers. From there they had two options, either go to Angel's home, or take Buffy for medical attention to Sarah who was at her home while Tara and the others were waiting at the library.

Buffy wanted to rest at Angel's home, but Angel was the one who made the call that Buffy needed to get that injury on her back looked at. While holding onto the shivering Buffy, Angel helped her walk through the tunnels, occasionally looking at her in her wet short before looking away. He remembered Sarah's warning about the curse that gave him his soul, and he was now wondering what would have happened if he had never gotten that warning.

A warning that has been on the forefront of his mind ever since that day. As they continued to walk, Angel wanted to do nothing but get closer to Buffy.. HE wanted to take her home, treat her injuries, and then let what may happen… just happen. But he knew that one moment of true happiness would release Angelus, and there was no way that he was taking that risk.

Once Buffy was fixed up with Angel standing outside on the balcony outside the Maclay's apartment with the front door open. He watched as Sarah closed up Buffy's wounds before telling her to take a break, and call Giles at the library to tell them that she was alright. Angel watched Buffy nod her head before she left for the phone in the living room. In the meantime, Sarah took off her gloves and threw them away before walking towards Angel. She stood just behind the threshold while Buffy was talking to Giles, and asked him about what happened at the factory.

"We're too late," Angel said while Sarah sighed and shook her head, "this thing is going to be unbeatable, Mrs. Maclay."

"Call me Sarah, please," replied the woman as Angel nodded his head and then whispered when Buffy put down the phone.

"I don't know how to beat this thing, Sarah," he whispered just as Buffy jogged to Sarah's side, saying that she already told Giles about the Judge, and that she and angel were safe. Sarah nodded her head before grabbing her car keys and then walking outside with Buffy, telling her and Angel that she'll drop them off at home since she had to go pick up Tara from the school. While heading to the car, Sarah said that they'll find a way to beat the Judge.

And they did.

Thanks to the unlikeliest of Scoobies; Xander.

It was the next day, at the library, that Xander brought up the idea of stealing rocket launchers from the Sunnydale Army base. He chuckled when everyone, excluding Sarah who was in the infirmary treating a basketball player who had his arm problem after he tripped down the stairs, looked at him with their mouths hanging open at his suggestion. Xander then, in the usual Xander way of waving his arms around, explained that it made sense to use a modern weapon since 'no weapon forged' could beat the monster.

"That does make sense," said Tara nodding her head while she caught a glance of Willow looking away. She was there in the library last night when Willow ran away in tears with Xander soon following her out of the doors. Confused, she, Jenny, and Giles then looked up at Cordelia who was heading down the stairs from the second level with a regretful look on her face, "Cordy?"

Cordelia told the others that Willow saw her and Xander kissing. Tara then looked out the window and recalled how upset the redhead seemed to be, but shook her head out of the clouds that were forming in her imagination; a situation where she could comfort Willow, and then the both of them would miraculously be a couple.

It was the next morning that confirmed to Tara that her chances with Willow had already receded to a point where she won't be able to do anything. Tara sat next to the redhead while Xander was telling them his idea, and then brought up that fact that, he needed Cordelia's help for what he wanted to do. Tara was about to reach out and comfort Willow, but stopped when the redhead mentioned that one person that Tara forgot about since he hadn't been on a lot of the Scooby meetings.

Oz.

Tara wrapped her arms around herself and looked away to the table while Willow looked at Xander and said that they could use Oz's van to transport the rocket launchers back to the library.

"We'll do this tonight," Buffy said as she looked at everyone, "it was too late last night, so I'm guessing that Drusilla and Spike will want to test out the Judge later tonight. We'll get the rocket launchers, and then… actually, does anyone here know how to use a rocket launcher?"

"Oh, oh," chuckled Xander while raising his hand, "I do."

Tara then stared surprised at Xander at how he knew to operate a rocket launcher, and she was grateful that the others at the table, and Giles, had the same expression of surprise on their faces. She listened in amazement as Xander talked about the time he became a soldier on Halloween, and that he retained all of that information in his mind.

"You… you dressed as a soldier? And became a soldier?" asked a surprised Tara while the others all shook their heads and released an 'ooooooh' from their lips while nodding their heads.

Tara was the only one still left confused at the revelation made by Xander.

"Yep," he replied to Tara's question. Giles explained to Tara what happened that day with the Janus Spell that Ethan Rayne performed to make those who bought costumes from his shop.

"Wow," Tara said while she looked around the table. "so all of you became your costumes?"

"Not me," replied Cordelia, "thank God, or else I'd have been a cat. Can you imagine?"

"It would have been a good look for you," replied Willow sarcastically as Cordelia raised an eyebrow at her. Willow then turned to Tara and told her that she became a ghost, while Buffy became a woman from the Victorian era.

"Really," asked an impressed Tara as she turned to Buffy and then at Willow again, "I guess you walked through walls?"

"I kinda had to die first," grimaced Willow.

"Ouch," replied Tara before they all looked at Buffy, who slinked down her seat while replying that she didn't remember anything. Tara chuckled knowing that it was a lie just as Giles brought them back to the matter at hand, stopping the Judge.

Which they did later that night at the Sunnydale Mall. The Judge had already killed one innocent at the mall, the only place that was crowded with people since the Bronze was closed, and was about to kill more with Drusilla by his side. However, the Judge didn't last much longer since, before more people could die, Buffy fired an RPG at the blue monster.

Everyone jumped to cover as the Judge blew up, with Buffy and Angel going after Drusilla who was escaping. The other Scoobies, in the meantime, began picking up pieces of the Judge that were laying all around them. While Tara, and Jenny were picking pieces, everyone else had paired up and were picking up armor, hands, and feet. However, Buffy and Angel came back saying that they were fighting vampires that had been blocking one of the exits that Drusilla had escaped through; she was in the wind.

It would be the next night that Angel and Buffy infiltrated the warehouse to take care of Drusilla and Spike once and for all, but found that everything was gone. Spike and Drusilla were gone; a lone letter left on the table addressed to the 'Great Poof'. Buffy chuckled as Angel frowned while opening the letter and then reading the contents aloud to Buffy. She cracked a smile when hearing that Spike had knocked out Drusilla and the both of them then left Sunnydale. He wrote that Drusilla was getting more insane that she already was, and he just wanted out of Sunnydale. Spike ended the letter by saying that they'll be causing havoc somewhere else, and then when the time was just right; he'll be back.

 **The Summers House, 2300 hours; one weeks later.**

Angel stopped pacing around the carpet and looked at Giles and the other women in front of him who were seated on the sofa as he finished recalling everything that happened the past week. And then he blurted out what he wanted to say.

"I love Buffy."

"Yes," replied Giles with an eyebrow raised while motioning towards the women and himself, "we know."

"Right, sorry," Angel replied as she paced the carpet again while the others looked at him. Angel stopped again and turned to the adults and recalled Buffy telling him that she told her mother everything, including her love for the two-hundred-year old vampire. "Mrs. Summers, I really do love Buffy."

"I admit that I was surprised that not are you only a two-hundred year old man going after a seventeen year old girl," said Joyce with a grimace on her face, "but Rupert's been telling me how much you've helped Buffy in this fight she's a part of. I'm still getting used to this part of her life, and there's a lot I need to figure out and accept, but even with all you've done to help her, to help her friends; I just can't accept you and her being together. She deserves a life, Angel."

"I know," he replied, "which is why I wanted to talk to you four before I talk to Buffy."

"Okay," said Sarah leaning forward.

"I'm leaving Sunnydale," said Angel as Giles and the others looked at each other, and then at Angel once again, "I'll be close-by if Buffy gets any of her prophetic dreams, and you need back-up. But I think the best thing for me to do is leave."

"Not that I'm complaining," said Jenny as she waved her hands about, "I mean you've helped us with the Judge, you've helped Buffy even before I came into the picture; but why leave now?"

"What Sarah said about the curse has been in the forefront of my mind," said Angel while his hands in his black overcoat's pockets, "last week during the thing with the Judge, there was a moment after the recon mission to the factory, just after we escaped that I wanted to treat Buffy's injuries at my home."

"Oh," yelped Giles as Angel nodded his head while the women looked at each other knowingly, before turning to Angel once again.

"Yeah," Angel replied. "she makes me feel complete, and now I have to wonder if the next time we're alone facing a dangerous situation; would we give in to our needs after or…. Like you said, Sarah, happiness could be anything. And I don't want to take the risk of releasing Angelus into the world. Not if it's going to harm, Buffy."

"Where are you going to go?" asked Giles.

"I was thinking Los Angeles," he replied. "It's far enough for Buffy to have a life, and close enough for me to come back and help if she needs it."

"That's acceptable," said Giles nodding his head.

"Thank you," whispered Joyce as she looked up at Angel, "for giving Buffy a chance to have a life."

"I know she won't have much of a life with me," replied Angel.

"This is a brave thing you're doing, Angel," said Sarah as she stood up and walked towards Angel, offering her hand out, "I know it doesn't seem fair, but…"

"I understand," said Angel, "I can't have Angelus out in the world."

"You're doing the right thing," said Jenny as Sarah and Angel shook hands just as Buffy, Tara, and the others returned to the Summers house.

"Angel? What are you doing here?" blurted out Buffy.

"Umm.." said Angel nervously as he ambled towards Buffy, "we.. we need to talk."

"Alright," whispered Buffy as she looked into Angel's eyes, "yeah, sure."

TBC.


	19. Chapter 19

**Sunnydale High Library, 1300 hours.**

Ordinarily, Xander would be very happy with the scene unfolding in front of him; three girls were fighting for his affection.

Literally fighting.

As in Buffy was fighting Tara, who in turn was fighting Amy, after the young man asked Amy, the very same Amy who was gathering magical energy around her as her eyes turned black, for a spell that would make his ex-girlfriend, Cordelia, fall in love with him again. Just so he could break up with her.

However, the entire spell went haywire.

Tara and Buffy stopped slapping each other, and they looked at each other, and then at Amy before Tara raised her hand and uttered a word that shut Amy's lips tight. She then muttered another spell that froze the witch in place before she and Buffy looked at each other again.

Their eyes were filled with murderous intent while Xander was standing nervously, with his hands raised, by the side of the table in the library. He then eyed the book stacks in the second floor, and shifted his feet so that he was leaning back slightly. He saw the rear door before he then looked at Tara and Buffy… the tension between them was thick. He regretted the magic spell that he had Amy perform to make Cordelia fall him love with him; he had no idea how bad it could go for him.

Even Willow, who already had a boyfriend in the werewolf, Oz, had tried to seduce him last night; on his bed. But Xander ran away from his house, leaving Willow standing in his room in her pyjama's.

Even Amy had tried to seduce him the day she performed the spell. Followed by another girl, and then another.

He was nearly beaten up by some of the football and basketball players when he overheard their girlfriends saying that they wanted to be with Xander.

He ran the other way with two of the young men chasing him. And that was just yesterday.

He came to the library today to tell Giles, who was extremely angry at what he did, what happened, and if he had a way to stop it. Especially since Jenny, who was talking to Giles, began hitting on Xander; while she was standing next to Giles. An angry Giles then grabbed a hold of Jenny's arm, and pulled the whimpering woman, who was reaching for Xander, back before telling the young man angrily to stay in the library, that he was going to talk to Sarah about this, and then he needed to find Amy.

He was gone when Buffy and Tara came in with smiles on their face, followed a few minutes later by Amy.

And then the fight, consisting of slaps, between them started with Xander in the middle begging them to stop.

But they didn't.

And now Amy was frozen and unable to speak, while Tara and Buffy were glaring at each other; one waiting for the other to make a move. Xander looked at the magical energy that Tara was gathering in her hands while smirking at Buffy, who was nervously looking at the energy in the palms of the young blonde witch. The two of them were in a stand-off.

Like one of those old Western movies that Xander was fond of on television.

'Now I just need a tumbleweed to roll behind Buffy, and we've got the whole setting,' thought Xander to himself, 'stupid Harris. See what happens when you let your wildest dream come true? You became a lust magnet… not the good lusty feelings that's supposed to be evoked in the girls around you; noooo…. You get the 'I'll kill you if you don't choose me' lusty feelings thingy. Ok need to get out of here, and find a way to get to Giles. Need to get to the rear door.'

Xander gulped while he tried to creep his way up the stairs while Tara and Buffy were now arguing on who Xander loved more. He was already at the top step before he made a dash for the rear door, when he suddenly felt himself getting magically pulled back.

"Xander," exclaimed Buffy, who was wearing a black trench coat that ended just above the knee, while Tara was in a shirt and an orange skirt. Xander was turned around by an invisible force and watched Tara, the magic in her hands gone while her hand was pointed towards him. Tara smirked at Xander, and asked him if he wanted her to wear something similar to what Buffy was wearing; all the while he was forced to stumble down the stairs while Tara slowly pulled her arm back.

"How about this?" asked Tara as she muttered a spell that changed her ankle length, orange skirt to a tight, black leather one that ended several inches above her knees, and then her shirt changed to a black tube-top that exposed her midriff and her shoulders, and her hair became wavy. Xander and Buffy, who muttered that what Tara did was unfair, stared at the blonde in surprise while rooted in place. Tara, however, stood and stared at Xander with one hand on her hip before she walked towards him in her high heels, "so, what do you think? Xander?"

"Xander," cooed Buffy as the poor young man's face started getting darker shades of red as she started to untie her robe, "time for your…"

"No!" yelped Xander as he ran to Buffy and stopped her from untying her coat. It was then that he felt arms wrapping around him from behind as Tara pressed on his back, and placed one hand on his chest, and another one on his abdomen.

"Xander," whispered Tara huskily in his ear, "how about you and me go somewhere where we could be alone? We drop Buffy and then…. umm…. You and me alone. We can have…."

"I pray to God that you don't finish that sentence," said a nervous Xander as he extricated himself from Tara's grip and stepped back from the both of the two young women; two young women, two very powerful young women who looked very hurt at Xander's perceived rejection. He raised his hands while stepping back, "I love the both of you, as friends… I mean… Buffy, I like you… but this isn't the way that I want to.. you know… for you to like me. It's just the spell talking. And.. and you too, Tara. I like you too and… and this is just the spell. You two aren't thinking straight and…"

"Are you trickling me and Tara?" Buffy asked outraged.

"You're saying we're not good for you?" ask Tara as she raised her voice while she straightened up, looked up and down at Buffy, rolled her eyes, and turned to Xander once again while rubbing her chin, "how about the both of us at one go?"

"Share Xander?" asked a surprised Buffy as she looked at Tara.

"We both get who we want," replied Tara as Buffy smirked.

"As much as this very scenario is every hot blooded guys fantasy," rambled Xander as he waved his arms about, "let's not! No… no way… the two of you aren't thinking right, and… no."

"What the hell is going on here?!" screamed Sarah, who stormed into the library with an engrossed Jenny who was waving at Xander, along with Giles, who was glaring at Xander. The Librarian was holding onto Jenny tightly while Tara gasped and grimaced at Sarah who stormed towards them, "Xander! Giles told me what happened… where the hell do you get off doing a love spell?"

"Sorry," squeaked a sheepish Xander as he looked at the angry woman, "ummm…"

"Momma," said Tara putting an arm around the Slayer, "we love Xander… me and Buffy, and… we're going to…"

"Don't continue that sentence, Tara," exclaimed Sarah as she grabbed Xander's arm and pulled him behind her, "you and the other girls in this school aren't thinking right. It hasn't affected the adults yet and…"

"It's got Miss Calendar," said Xander as he looked at Sarah. It was then he noticed the look in her eyes while she looked him up and down, and then she licked her lips before biting down on her lower lip, "and… and… oh no."

"What?" asked Giles as Sarah looked hungrily at Xander, and smiled. Giles noticed the look on Sarah's face as well, and rolled his eyes before pulling the nurse, who was in her white coat, back away from the young man. And he did the same to Jenny who was approaching Xander, until she was pulled back by Giles. The library doors then opened, leaving the watcher to roll his eyes and then turned around, expecting more insanity to ensue. However, this time it wasn't a girl that walked through in search of Xander, it was Oz who stormed past the Watcher, and then punched Xander across the jaw.

"Hey!" he yelled while looking up at a panting Oz after he fell to the floor, "what was that for?"

"I got a call from Willow last night, and she was crying saying something about the two of you….," said Oz while he was pointing at the young man, and then noticed Buffy in a robe, and Tara in something that he knew would be out of place for the normally shy girl to wear, "and… umm… what's going on?"

"I made a mistake," said Xander with Oz looking back at him with a frown on his face. The orange haired young man then helped him up to his feet, while Giles opened the book cage and told Xander to get inside. Xander looked at the open cage, and then at Giles and whimpered.

"The spell that you had Amy do?" said Giles, "it's a lust spell.. there is no such thins love spell, Xander. Every girl will be crazy for you,, and if they can't have you? What do you think's going to happen? Tara and the others here are somewhat in control right now, what do you think is going to happen when they get out of control? Or what do you think will happen if all the females in the school gets out of control? You're staying here where the others can't see you, it's the safest option you have. Or you could try your luck out there where the girls cold very well rip you apart."

"I'll stay," exclaimed Xander as he rushed into the cage, which Giles then locked, and threw the keys back inside to Xander. HE then turned to Tara, and Sarah, before barking at them to stop whimpering over a child and help him undo the spell.

"And unfreeze Amy!" cried Giles pointing at the frozen in place witch, "we need her to undo the spell."

"Fine," sighed Tara as she waved her arms, and Amy frowned at her before looking lovingly at Xander, and then glowering at Sarah and the other women in the library.

"Oh dear Lord," said Giles shaking his head, "Amy tell me what you did, and how to get rid of this spell… and if you complain even once? I will have Tara freeze you again… Oz?"

"Yea," he replied.

"After Amy gives me the ingredients, I need you to run over to the magic box, and get those supplies. Do not tell anyone where Xander is located or else we will have a riot in the library, understood?"

"Yeah," replied Oz.

"Now," said Giles as he glowered at Amy while taking off his glasses, and placing them on the table, "the spell? And the ingredients to dispel this lust spell you placed on Xander… give them to me."

"Fine," sighed Amy while Buffy and Tara looked at each other, and then back at Xander who was standing nervously at the far end of the book cage while Sarah and Jenny were putting their hands on the cage itself, begging Xander to come closer.

"I'm fine just where I am," said Xander holding his hands up while remaining in a corner of the book cage, "and boy do I hope that we laugh at this moment one day in the future."

"Jenny, Sarah!" cried Giles as the two women looked back at Giles who was pointing at a couple of chairs, "stop acting like children, and sit down. Now."

"Fine," pouted Jenny as he walked away, while Sarah blew Xander a kiss; an act that made the young man shudder.

"This is going to be a long day," mumbled Giles to himself before turning to Amy, "tell me everything."

TBC.


	20. Chapter 20

**Sunnydale High Library, 1330 hours.**

Sarah, Tara, Buffy, and Jenney were all seated at the table while a very reluctant Amy was helping Giles gather the materials for the spell form one of the science labs. IN the meantime, Oz had already left for the Magic Box just a few minutes ago, when he ran back in with an injured Cordelia, her arms around his shoulder as Giles and Xander looked up in concern.

"Cordy!" exclaimed Xander as he watched the bruised young woman be taken past him as Sarah's instincts took over. She quickly got up off the chair and rushed to the injured young woman. Xander was about to open the cage when Giles pointed his finger at him and told him to stay inside the cage. The young man protested, but Giles was adamant that Xander do what he said. The librarian then turned to Oz and asked him what happened.

"I was heading out when I saw Cordelia being slapped and kicked by a mob of girls," said Oz, "they were all saying she was an idiot for leaving Xander."

"It was weird," said Cordelia wincing in pain as Sarah checked her body for any bad cuts, "its like all of them became crazy for Xander. Even Harmony, and she hates Xander."

"She could have turned around and…" said Xander as he leaned, with his arms on the door, against the cage while Oz headed back out. Giles had told the orange haired young man to hurry, while Cordelia was sitting down.

"Yeah, like she and the whole school suddenly loved you," exclaimed Cordelia. She had a lot more to say, but words failed to escape her lips when she noticed her ex-boyfriend standing locked in the book cage, "what did you do?"

"What makes you think I did anything?" asked Xander sheepishly before he gulped.

"He didn't have to do anything," said Tara with a sigh while she continued to look at Xander, "he just has this pull about him and…"

"Ummmm…." Cordelia looked at Tara up and down from where she was sitting while Sarah and Giles went to the back office to get the first aid kit. This was the first time Cordelia had seen Tara in the outfit she was wearing. Cordelia knew that the girl was very shy, and there was no way that she would wear the outfit she was wearing in a normal day. She then looked at Buffy, who was dreamily looking over her shoulder at Xander, as was Jenny. Cordelia then widened her eyes and frowned at Xander before saying, "the only way that Tara… Tara, of all people, would be making googly eyes at you is if you put a love spell on her and…"

Cordelia watched the expression on Xander's face change as he grimaced, before looking down at the floor.

"Oh my God," exclaimed Cordelia as Sarah and Giles rushed out of the back office after hearing the young woman raise her voice. Sarah had the first aid box in her hand as Cordelia laid into Xander for using a love spell.

"Yeah, well," yelled Xander as he raised his arms to the side, "the spell was for you… but it's like you have this shield around you cause you're all loveless and…"

"Wait," said Cordelia with a small smile developing on her face, "you did the love spell, for me?"

"Well, D'uh," exclaimed Xander.

"He loves us too," said Sarah, Buffy, and Jenny together.

"Umm…. Eww," said Cordelia as Sarah smirked. Just then, the library doors swung as a panting Willow ran inside holding an axe. She looked at a stunned Giles, and then at Buffy and Tara who had already gotten up facing her, and then the redhead looked at Xander. Willow looked at Buffy, Tara, Jenny, Sarah, and then at Cordelia before glaring at Xander. She gripped the axe tightly before holding it out in front of her.

"You…. You." Willow voice broke as she spoke while tears were gathering in her eyes. "It's supposed to be you and me! Not them… not Cordelia!"

"Will…" said Xander as he stepped back from the cage.

"If.. If… I can't have you," said Willow as she turned to face Buffy and the others, "then they can't either!"

"You have got to be joking," said Giles as Tara waved her hand and the axe flew out of Willow's grip. The redhead then waved her hands, and Tara was thrown back while, at the same time, Sarah swung her arm at Willow, and the redhead felt her feet being swept from under her as she fell onto her side. It was then that Jenny and the others looked at the doors to the library upon hearing a rumbling noise.

"You have to be joking," repeated Giles as he rushed to the door, and looked out the windows at a horde of girls carrying all sorts of weapons running towards him. The worried man then secured the locks on the doors before he hurriedly turned around and told Cordelia to get up. He then told Xander to unlock the door while he ran to his office, and then, once Xander was out and surrounded by Buffy who was holding onto his arm, Jenny, Sarah… who had stopped checking up on Cordelia, who stood up and looked with disgust at what was happening. They then stopped in their tracks when they heard the girls crashing into the locked doors. Xander and Giles saw the crazed look on the girls as they screamed for Xander.

Cordelia then glared at Xander who apologized again.

"Can you run?" asked Giles looking at Cordelia who nodded her head.

"Buffy! Jenny! Sarah!" cried Giles, "let go of him. If he stays here, he will most likely die, that's not what you want, is it?"

"No," said Buffy as she held his arm while Sarah was about to kiss his neck, just as Giles pulled her back, as he did with Jenny who threw herself at him. Giles then felt himself being pulled away by in unknown force. He turned around to find Tara standing while pulling her arm back, while at the same time he was being pulled back.

"Xander!" barked Giles as he threw the young man a set of keys as Tara, and the others, looked on in surprise.

"He's mine!" shouted Willow as she slowly got up, her teeth gritted against each other as she waved her hand and flung Tara to one side. It led to Sarah telling Willow that she wasn't as powerful as her before she used magic to fling Willow over the counter. Giles then screamed at Xander and Cordelia to get to his car. He told the both of them that it was parked right outside the library, and then needed to use the rear door near the book stacks to get out of the school.

"Drive as far away as you can," shouted Giles as Sarah held her hands over her mouth as she realized what she just did. Sarah called for Tara as the both of them, followed by a concerned Giles, rushed behind the library counter to find Willow lying down on the floor unconscious. In the meantime, Buffy shook her head before lovingly looking at Xander.

"Buffy! Jenny!" barked Giles from behind the counter while Sarah was examining Willow, "get the First Aid kit, now!"

Whimpering, the two women then grabbed the box, that was on the table, and then rushed behind the counter. Xander wanted to stay and make sure that Willow was alright, but Cordelia pulled the young man out of the first floor, and up the stairs just as the door to the library collapsed and a horde of girls screaming Xander's name rushed it. They saw Xander running behind some book stacks, and they ran after him and Cordelia, who had already run through the rear door.

In the meantime, Sarah gave a sigh of relief upon not only feeling a pulse, but the young redhead groaning as well. Giles looked on, by peeking his head up from behind the counter, as the horde ran through the library, and then through the back door. The sound of thunder caused by the running of the horde of girls was now gone, leaving Buffy looking concerned as Willow slowly opened her eyes, and asked for Xander.

"Yes, well," replied Giles, "he's safe, Willow."

"I'm sorry, Willow," said Sarah as she continued to check Willow's body while Tara looked on, "I wanted Xander to myself and… how about we all share him once you get up and…"

"Sarah!" barked Giles as Willow gave a small smile.

It would be an hour later that not only were Xander and Cordelia safely outside the Sunnydale City limits, but Giles was performing the spell to dispel what Amy had done. Willow was sitting on a chair with Oz holding an ice pack on the side of her head. Once the spell was finally gone, the females' eyes glowed before looking at each other confused for a few seconds… and then their eyes opened wide as they realised what just happened.

Buffy tightened the coat, which was the only thing that covered her naked body underneath, before she mumbled that she'll be right back. The Slayer darted out of the library, and went to her locker when she kept the clothes she had come to school in. IN the meantime, Tara gave off a loud yelp while using her arms to try and cover herself.

"Momma!" she yelped before running, and then hiding herself, in Giles' office. Sarah shook her head as she took off her white coat, and then draped it over her shivering daughter.

"I feel like I'm having a hangover," said Jenny leaning forward and put her head in her hands, while Amy was trying to creep out of the library when she realized what troubles her spell caused.

"Amy," said Giles as he fixed his glasses. Amy stopped, grimaced and then turned around, and apologized for what just happened. She said that she was just trying to help a friend. Giles shook his head before pointing at the table, and asked Amy to take a seat. Amy then sat next to Willow, who Oz was now fussing over.

The redhead blushed at Oz brushing the side of her cheeks, and then looking up and smiling at the blue bag of ice. He then looked at Willow and asked if she was doing all right.

"I am," said Willow as she looked up at Sarah who was walking with a red faced, and nervous Tara, who was trying to hide what she was wearing under the white coat. Willow apologized to Sarah and Tara for using magic on them. Sarah waved it off saying that she wasn't in control.

"But I should have been, Willow," said Sarah, "I'm really sorry for what happened when I threw you."

The apologies had gone on for a few more minutes before Sarah took Tara out of the Library. The both of them went home where Tara changed into new clothes. She kept the skirt and the tube-top, and thought that she may use it at another time. And when that time came, she'd know what she would be doing.

It would be two hours later, after receiving a call from Xander, that he and Cordelia would return to the school. The young man apologized profusely to Buffy, Tara, Sarah, and the others by admitting he wanted a spell to make Cordelia fall in love with him again. He admitted that it was wrong before Cordelia asked why the spell didn't work… why she wasn't affected by the spell.

"It created lust," said Tara looking at Cordelia, "there must have been something that shielded you."

"Yeah," said Xander while he rubbed the back of his head nervously, "ummm… where's Willow?"

"It's going to take some time for her to forgive, Xand," said Buffy, "but trust me… you have a lot of grovelling to do."

"Yeah, I guessed that," he replied while shaking his head. And grovelling he did. It would be a month later that Willow was on speaking terms with him again, and it was two more months after that that she could look into his eyes without thinking about nearly seducing him back at his house during the spell. Life would go on as usual for the Scoobies, with the occasional apocalypse threatening the city every few months. Eventually, the group got closer as a result, with there being a close bond between Tara and Oz, the two relatively shyer members of the group. She even helped Oz with research on ways to control his transformations into a werewolf, while in the meantime, Willow was learning magic from a teacher sent by the Devon Coven.

Everything had been going well, and one day they had received bad news from Sam Zabuto, Kendra's Watcher.

Kendra had died.

It would be months later that the status quo would change once again. With the coming of another Slayer to Sunnydale.

TBC.


	21. Chapter 21

**The Summers House, 1700 hours.**

"I can see it looking at me."

"What the heck is that thing?"

"Interesting."

"Mom, the thing does not… and I can't emphasis the 'not' enough, that this thing does not belong in this room."

"Buffy," said a frowning Joyce as she looked at her daughter, and then at Xander who had his arm around Cordelia's shoulder, Willow, Oz, Tara, and Sarah, "this is a Nigerian mask given to the me by a friend, it's going to be in the gallery show next week but I thought it's be nice to put it put here for a while and…"

"It doesn't fit the room, Joyce," said Sarah grimacing as she looked at the brown coloured mask. To her, and she could feel the same sensations from Tara as well, the mask gave off an odd feeling that she couldn't place. That feeling wasn't the only thing that put the two of the off, it was the aesthetics of the mask that did it as well. It looked like the top half of a demonic face, complete with fangs; enough to give the two witches a chill up their spines.

"See," exclaimed Buffy with her eyes wide open and motioning towards Sarah, "Mrs. Collins is right, it doesn't fit the room. In fact, that thing looks like it's angry at the room."

Joyce chuckled and shook her her before motioning evertone towards the door, and out of the room. The group, with Giles and Jenney coming to the house later on, were at the Summers house for a get together; the adults were going to have a meeting after dinner while Buffy and the others went out patrolling. It would be a few hours later that everything would implode due to a zombie invasion.

The Nigerian mask, which was capable of raising the dead, was later accidentally destroy after Buffy used it as a weapon against one of the many zombies who had crashed through the door where everyone had been hiding. The plan was to get out of the window, scale the drain pipe, and then run to one of the cars in the driveway. But the front lawn, and the backyard were full of zombies that were getting into the Summers house. Joyce was whimpering when she heard crashes and things shattering down below while the zombies were smashing through one door after another.

Eventually, Buffy grabbed the mask after Tara and Willow used magic to push some of the zombies away, while Sarah smashed a vase into the head of one of the undead. In the meantime, Giles had called out to Willow so that she could use her magic to push the zombies away from the cars in the driveway. Giles was on the roof, and he pointed at the Zombies as Willow uttered a spell, and a swathe of the creatures were pushed to the ground, however, they started to get up again.

"Tara!" cried Sarah as she grabbed a bedsheet before jumping onto the back of a zombie, "help Willow!"

Tara nodded her head just as Joyce picked up a jewellery box, and smashed it into the head of the bedsheet covered zombie. In the meantime, Xander, Cordelia, and Oz, pushed the door shut and leaned against it. They could feel the door being pounded on by the zombies while Xander screamed that they weren't getting his brains.

Cordelia had a quip prepared, but she was concentrating more on holding the door shut, as was Oz. There were six other Zombies in the room, with Buffy punching and kicking through them while Sarah and Joyce took one zombie down, the blonde witch sitting on its back while it was writhing underneath.

"It won't die… again!" she cried before hopping off the zombie and standing next to a frightened Joyce, "it's…"

All of a sudden, every one heard a 'crack', and then the Zombies just collapsed. Joyce and the others looked at Buffy, who was holding onto one half of the mask, the other half on the floor. She smashed it to the side of a zombie's head, and it broke in half; that was her story to Joyce who looked on with her mouth wide open at both halves of the mask.

"Told you it was angry at the room," whispered Buffy as she dropped the other half while panting. Joyce walked over the fallen bodies to her daughter and hugged her, whispering in the Slayer's ear that she was glad she was alright.

"So," said Cordelia looking at all the dead bodies, "what are we going to do about these things? Don't tell me we have to rebury them?"

"I'll call the Council," said Giles "they have a team that usually takes care of things like this."

That night, Buffy and Joyce spent the night at Sarah and Tara's apartment. And it was early the next morning that a team from the Watchers Council was able to come by the Summers house and dispose of all the bodies in an hour.

 **Library, Sunnydale High, 1300 hours.**

It would be few months later that the Scoobies entered their senior year of high school. While Willow would be training with her mentor from the Devon coven in using magic, Tara, Buffy, and OZ would be assisting Sarah and the other school nurse during their down time. And it would be here that Tara, and later Willow after she would complete her training for the day, would help Oz with trying to control his transformations into a werewolf. Even Giles, Jenny, and Sarah helped in this endeavour for the young man to learn control… but all of them were certain that there was something that could help him, but it would take some time.

It would be the first day of their Senor year that Xander made a proclamation; that he would find Tara someone to date since she was the only one out of the group that wasn't dating anyone.

"No!" said Tara, Buffy, Willow, and Cordelia together when they were in the library between their classes.

"Oh for heaven's sake," mumbled Giles while Oz nudged a chuckling Willow.

"As if you know anyone," said Cordelia with an eyebrow arched upwards, who was seated next to Xander, who in turn was seating on the table.

"I do.." said Xander, "there's Scott Hope and…"

"He's interested in Buffy," said Cordelia as she looked at her nails before looking at the faces looking back at her. She then sighed and turned to Tara, telling her that he's not her type anyway. Tara narrowed her eyebrows at Cordelia, wondering what she meant by that remark. It was from Cordelia's knowing look, and her repeating that Scott wasn't her type, dis Tara realize that she knew that she wasn't interested in guys.

"Ummm… ummm…, right," she said nodding her head vigorously, "he.. he's not my type. I mean… thanks, umm.. Xander, thanks, but I'm fine."

"Ok?" said Xander as he scratched his head before wondering aloud that since this was their first day of being a Senior, they had to decide on where to go for lunch.

"Oh, I know," said Willow as she put her hand up and jumped excitedly. While Willow was talking about lunch, and then going back to Buffy asking Scott out on a date, Oz noticed the look on Tara's face before she got up, and then excused herself. Willow and the others nodded their heads before Oz watched the young woman leave through the library doors. He guessed that there was something wrong since Cordelia was mumbling under her breath before she said she'll be right back, and then got up.

"Yea, sure," said a confused Xander as Cordelia navigated around her chair and then headed towards the exit. Oz watched her leave before leaning towards Willow, and the whispering in her ear that he'll be right back as well. Oz walked out of the library, looked in both directions of the hallway.. stopping when he saw Cordelia gently pulling Tara into a classroom. Wondering if he should intervene, Oz turned again and was about to enter the library again… but he hesitated. Sighing, he walked towards the classroom.

For that one moment that Oz hesitated, Cordelia had already closed the door to the empty classroom behind her while Tara wrapped her arms around herself. She leaned on the edge of the teacher's table while looking nervously at Cordelia and then looking at the floor.

"You… you know? About.. about… I.. I mean…" shuttered Tara before she shook her head and looked at the young woman, and then looked away once again.

"I saw you a few times looking at Willow," whispered Cordelia as she leaned on the wall next to the blackboard, "and a few other girls too.. I mean just glances and… yeah. I'm not going to tell anyone, if that's what you're worried about."

"Ple.. please," whispered Tara as she shook her head.

"I won't," said Cordelia, "I promise. Buffy and the others may be a bit… you know… weird and all sometimes, but they'll be glad you told them."

"It's not easy," whispered Tara when there was a knock on the door. Tara and Cordelia looked at each other, before the witch turned to the door and asked whoever it was to come in. Tara straightened up as the door opened, and Oz walked in asking if she was okay since she left so suddenly.

"Yea," replied the blonde as Oz closed the door behind him and put his hands into his pockets, "I…"

Tara remembered what Cordelia had told her, that the Scoobies would understand that she was who she was. One part of her was nervous, and the other part wanted to tell OZ… she wanted to tell someone. Cordelia had already guessed, Sarah obviously knew about her interest in girls, but she had never said it out loud. She looked at the concern on Oz's face, and then she sighed before telling the young man that she had something important to say.

"Yeah, sure," whispered Oz as he took a step forward, "what's up?"

Tara looked at Cordelia, who nodded her head, and then looked at Oz while she was playing with her fingers. She knew that she could trust the Scoobies with her secret, but Tara was still terrified at how they could react if they found out the truth. So Tara took a deep breath, and spoke.

"Ummm…" said Tara nervously, "I… I… I was wondering if we should… you know… go to the Bronze.. or something… tonight?"

"Yeah," said a confused Oz as he glanced at Cordelia who sighed, and then at the nervous look on Tara's face. He suspected that there was something else that she wanted to tell him, but he just nodded his head at the witch; silently telling himself that whatever it was, can wait. That Tara would tell him when she thought it was time.

"We.. we should get back," whispered Tara while the others nodded their head. The three of them then left the classroom, meeting up with Xander and the others as the bell rang while they were walking out of the library. As Oz headed to Willow, Cordelia frowned at Tara before patting her shoulder.

"Your secret's safe," she said as Tara whispered 'thanks' to her. The group then headed off to their next class.

TBC.


	22. Chapter 22

**The Bronze, 2100 hours.**

It was nearly nine at night when Sarah dropped off Tara at the entrance to the Bronze where Buffy, Willow, and Oz were already waiting to meet her. And it didn't take long after Sarah left that Cordelia drove up with Xander in her car. The four of them looked on as she parked the car, and then walked towards them with Xander's arm around her shoulder. Tara couldn't help but give off a little smirk before looking away from the young woman, especially since she was wearing a shimmering black dress that went up to her knees.

"Hey Oz… my girls," said Xander jokingly as Oz nodded his head, while the young woman all raised their eye-brows at the young man.

"Your girls?" asked Buffy.

"Yeah," said Cordelia looking at Xander, "your girls?"

"I didn't mean 'my girls' per se," Xander said trying to defend himself while OZ whispered at him to just keep quiet. However, Xander still continued talking as he waved his hands, "I mean more like… you know… my girls… you know, the girls I know… it's not that I think about…"

"Don't finish that sentence," begged Oz.

"No," said Willow playfully while she wrapped an arm around Oz's shoulder while looking at Xander, "finish that sentence. Please."

"No," he chuckled nervously while rubbing the back of his head, "I don't want to be turned into a toad."

"Oh, I can't do transmutations," shook Willow's head before nodding at Tara, "I'm sure Tara can though."

"Oh yeah," nodded Tara, "a toad? A frog?"

"No frogs, or toads," pouted Willow as she looked at Tara, "I'm have a fear of them."

"Ah… how about a ferret?"

"Ferrets are cute," said Cordelia.

"Hey," exclaimed Xander as he looked at the grinning young women in front of him, before looking at Oz, "Oz? Man? Some help?"

"Ferret's aren't cute," sighed Oz as he looked at Willow, who pouted at him while Xander breathed a sigh of relief, 'how about a platypus?"

"Hey!" exclaimed Xander raising his hands up while the girls laughed, and Oz just shrugged his shoulder at the young man. Xander then sighed, kissed Cordelia on the cheek, and then insisted the go in before they catch a cold.

"It's hot outside," said Tara who was wearing a sleeveless orange blouse, and a pair of jeans.

"No, it's cold," chuckled Xander, "from the icy stares I'm getting for you ladies… get it?"

"Let's go in," Cordelia said shaking her head, "or else more bad puns are coming."

Tara watched the two couples walking in arm in arm while she and Buffy followed close behind them. While they were searching for a spot, Tara leaned sideways and asked her if she talked to Angel ever since he left Sunnydale. Buffy nodded her head over the loud music being played through the speakers. Tara leaned much closer to listen to what Buffy was sayinn about Angel having saved a young woman that he had saved earlier in Sunnydale that was related to the incident with Ford. However, while Tara was trying to concentrate on what the young blonde was saying, she was distracted by the scent of the perfume that was wafting into her nostrils. Tara heard Buffy's voice in her ear as she leaned sideways to listen, but her mind was now going haywire as she imagined her arms around Buffy's shoulders.

It was at that mental image that Tara simply nodded her head, and then leaned back to where she was while Buffy was still speaking. The blonde for her part, looked at the sudden move that Tara made, and wondered if there was something wrong since she could have sworn the witch's face was turning red.

"Tara!?" yelled Buffy over the loud music.

Tara turned to Buffy and raised her eyebrows.

"You alright?"

"Yea," said Tara nodding her head while doing everything she could to hide her nervousness, "I'm doing fine."

"You sure?!" yelled Buffy as they entered a quieter part of the club, away from the dance floor where the music was the loudest. Everyone turned at Buffy's shout, the Slayer looked at t hem with a grimace when she realized that she was yelling even though the sound of the music was lower as they sat down.

"What's wrong?" asked Willow as she sat down next to Oz, with Tara sitting down next to Buffy, and Cordelia and Xander being seated together on another couch.

"Tara looked sick just now," said Buffy as she looked at the young witch, "you alright?"

"Yea," she replied softly before shaking her head, "I… I thought I saw a cute boy and.. and I got distracted."

"Really?" smirked Cordelia as Tara turned to her with her eyebrows raised, as if asking Cordelia 'what are you doing to me', "where?"

"Yeah," said Xander leaning forward while he rubbed his hands together, "who?"

"Tara?" asked Buffy as she looked over her shoulder at the dance floor behind her, and then at Tara once again, "where is he? I… I know you're a bit shy and all so how about this? We go in and… hey."

It was at that moment that Scott Hope walked up to the group and waved at Buffy. He asked Buffy for a dance, which she gladly accepted before she reached her hand towards Tara.

"Come on," said Buffy as Scott held onto her hand, "I'll be you wing-girl and we'll get you introduced to that cute guy you saw."

Tara looked over her shoulder at the dance floor and pretended to look around for the imaginary boy she had seen before. As she looked around, she saw a young woman dancing seductively with a young man. She looked at her as she dancing slowly while the young man was holding onto her hips. Tara felt her face getting warm at the young woman's movements, all the while a part of her mind was kicking herself for her roving eyes. It was then that she noticed something about the young man who the dark haired young woman was dancing with.

His aura was all black.

It was just like Angel's, but without the bright white ball of light in the middle.

The young man was a vampire.

"Buffy," whispered Tara as she nodded at the dancing female, "that girl, she…"

"You're interested in the girl?" asked Scott.

It was then that Tara noticed a flash of disgust from the young man's aura, a flash that made Tara look away while shaking her head. She then looked at Buffy, who was looking back at her confused, as Tara's heart started to beat wildly.

But she wasn't sure why.

Shaking her head again, Tara came up with a story that she hoped Buffy would guess she was talking about vampires.

"I know the guy," whispered Tara, "he lives right next door, and… and he was bitten by a puppy."

"He doesn't looked like he was bitten by a puppy," said Xander as she looked at the young man, and then his eyes settled on the female he was dancing with. It was then that Cordelia nudged Xander, who looked back at her with an apologetic face. However, hearing the word puppy made Oz and Willow lean forward, the both of them wondering if Tara was talking about the mysterious young man being bitten by a werewolf. However, their eyes widened, and then they looked at each other when Tara told Buffy that Sarah had given him some treatment after coming to their apartment with a bite on his neck.

"On his neck?" asked Buffy.

"On his neck," confirmed Tara while she was pointing at her own, "yep… two bit marks."

"Bite marks," asked Buffy confused when she came to a realization on what Tara was talking about as her eyes widened while Tara nodded her head.

"Umm…. Buffy?" said Oz as he nodded at the young man who was heading out for the exit with the young woman.

"Scott," said Buffy as she turned towards the young man leading the young woman away. She then turned back towards Scott as she put her hand on his shoulder, "I.. I'll be right back. I wanna give that guy a good scolding for.. you know…"

"Not doing what my mom asked him to, you know keeping away from people in case of infection," said Tara nodding her head as Buffy casually headed towards the exit, followed by Tara, Willow, Oz, and Xander, while Scott just stood there confused about what was going on. He watched the gang leave before sighing, and then turning around to some of his friends in the distance. Taking one more look at the exit that Buffy rushed through, Scott shook his head before making off for his friends' table.

In the meantime, Buffy reached under her jacket as she stepped into the alleyway outside the bronze. Taking out a sharpened stake, the Slayer walked cautiously around a dumpster where the young man was kissing the woman. The blonde Slayer was about to say something when the dark haired young woman, who until now had been returning the young man's kiss, suddenly grabbed a hold of his throat as he vamped out.

"There you are," said the young woman as Buffy, and then Willow, Oz, Tara, and Xander, looked on in stunned silence as the young woman beat the vampire hard. She then slammed him against the dumpster while Oz whispered that there was another Slayer in town.

The Scoobies nodded their heads in agreement when the young woman noticed Buffy, and rushed towards her.

"Hey," she said confidently as Buffy looked at her surprised, "you must be Buffy, I'm Faith."

Suddenly, the vampire grabbed Faith from behind, and grabbed on tight as it wrapped her arms around her chest. Faith head-butted him, forcing him to release her. She then turned as Buffy and the others watched her fight, when suddenly she rushed at Buffy to, in her words, 'borrow' the stake before she turned around again. Faith then kicked the vampire on the side of his face before punching him. Last of all, in a smooth motion, she staked the vampire after ducking a punch from him… driving the stake into his chest before jerking it out.

Faith then flipped the stake in her hand before turning around, and then grinning at Buffy.

"Thanks, B," said Faith as she handed Buffy the stake before sauntering past her and the Scoobies, "couldn't have done it without ya."

"Ummm…." Mumbled Buffy before she turned around with a bemused look at the newest Slayer walking back into the Bronze, "ok… that happened."

It was a few minutes later that Buffy, Tara, and the others headed back into the club, and searched for Faith. Seeing her waving her hands at where they had been taking a seat earlier, the Scoobies headed there and sat down. Buffy and Faith started to talk while Willow and Tara made the drink orders with Oz and Cordelia, as well as a basket of muffins. Once the order was placed, the group listened to Faith talk about her life in Boston after becoming a slayer. Tara could see everyone listening intently at what Faith was saying while the waitress came by and handed them their drinks. Tara picked up hers and then took a sip, nearly spitting everything out when Faith told them a story about how she saved a bus full of nuns, and a priest, while she was totally naked back in Boston.

Tara gulped her drink down while trying her best not to cough as she glanced at Oz who was looking away nervously, as was Buffy and Willow, while Xander was looking at Faith's body while he licked his lips. At the same time, Cordelia was seated next to him with her arms crossed over her chest. Tara too, took the opportunity to glance at Faith, who was saying that the Baptist priest who was in the bus was so thankful that he even hugged her… leading to the both of them getting arrested by the police when they arrived.

Blushing, Tara looked away from Faith and took a sip while glancing at Cordelia who was looking back at her with an eyebrow raised. It was something that made Tara blush even more as she put her head down, her hair failing over her forehead while she was taking a drink.

"Wow," said Xander as Tara looked up at him, hoping that he wouldn't say what she thought he was going to say. Tara was thinking to herself 'don't say it, don't say it, don't say it'. And then Xander said, "they should film that story and show it every Christmas."

'He said it,' sighed Tara while she glanced at the aura of rage around Cordelia. It was then that the muffins arrived and Faith was the first one to grab one, and then dig in… all the while saying that she could eat a horse, since slaying made a Slayer very hungry and horney.

It was while Faith was eating another muffin that Tara and the others all turned to Buffy, who cowered in her seat saying that she preferred non-fat yoghurt. Tara couldn't help but smile as she looked away and took a sip of her drink, all the while occasionally stealing glances at Buffy while Cordelia said that since Kendra was activated after Buffy died, then Faith must have been activated after Kendra died. Tara listened to the others talking while Cordelia was glaring at Xander who continued to want to hear more stories about naked Faith, which was when Cordelia put her foot down and told Xander to change the theme of his questions.

"Oh, oh," said Willow as she nodded at the dance floor, "dancing?"

"I'm up for it," said Oz as Willow stood up, and the held his hand before pulling him up to his feet. Tara watched Willow rush past her while Buffy asked Faith if she came here with her watcher. It was just then, before Xander could ask Faith anymore questions, that Cordelia pulled him up and headed to the dance floor. Tara chuckled as she looked at Cordelia berating Xander on the way to the dance floor, and felt sorry for him as he profusely apologized before saying that he needed to know about Faith's background for research purposes.

Turning back to Buffy and Faith, who were they only ones left, Tara heard Buffy asked the newest Slayer if she had come with her Watcher.

"She's at some Watchers retreat, or something," said Faith as she looked around, and then turned back to Buffy with a grin on her face, "hey B, that cute guy you were with is just standing on the dance floor."

"Oh," said Buffy, who missed Tara's look of confusion as she looked at her drink. Tara read Faith's area when she said that her Watcher was in a retreat; which was a total lie. She frowned at the glass of pink liquid, which she sipped, as Buffy walked past with Faith.

"Hey, T," said Faith as Tara looked up at her with a smile, "you coming?"

"You.. you guys go ahead, Faith," said Tara as Faith shrugged her shoulders before patting Tara's shoulders. She then rushed into the dance floor and started to dance while Buffy just stood there looking at Scott, who was looking back at her. He was signalling her for a dance, and Buffy couldn't help but smile at the young man; but she felt like she was running out on Tara. She knew that the young woman was shy around people she didn't know; she remembered how it was when they met the first time… and how fast she had gotten over her shyness with them.

"Tara," said Buffy as she sat next to the blonde witch, "come on, there's plenty of hot guys who…"

"Umm…." Said Tara as she tried to find a quick excuse, "I can't dance and.. and… it's better I don't make a fool of myself. I'll be all right here, Buffy."

"Tara," whispered Buffy as she leaned closer. The blonde witch closed her eyes and took in the scent of Buffy's shampoo as a chill went up her spine, "it's ok and…"

"No," she yelped as she opened her eyes wide and moved to the left, away from Buffy whose eyebrows were raised in surprise, "I.. I mean I'll be fine, Buffy. You… you should go enjoy yourself. I mean.. you've been wanting to ask Scot out so… yeah.. and…"

Buffy sighed and moved closer to Tara and shook her head.

"I'm not going until you come along, Tara," said Buffy as she smiled at the witch while reaching for a muffin and then biting into it, "I mean.. there's a lot of…"

"I like girls and…" whispered Tara as she turned to look at Buffy, before grimacing as the blonde Slayer coughed while swallowing the muffin. Worried, Tara patted Buffy on the back until she raised her hand, and rasped that she was all right.. that it was just a surprise. Tara frowned as she mentally kicked herself for revealing such a detail about herself, but there was a part of her that was at ease in having Buffy know.. and the other part was just frightened about what her reaction would be.

"So… you…" whispered Buffy as the music played in the background, "I mean you…"

"Yeah," mumbled Tara as she looked at her half-finished drink, and then at Buffy again, "don't tell anyone? I mean Cordelia and you are the only ones who know and… I mean…:

"I won't tell anyone and…"

"Hey Buffy?" asked Scott as he walked up to her with two other guys, "my friends and I are heading out and.. you want to come with us?"

"A rain check?" asked Buffy as she smiled at Scott.

"Yeah, sure," came the reply before he nodded his head and walked away.

"Buffy," whispered Tara, "I.. I'm glad that some else knows about me being.. you know.. and it's something that… I mean it's not that important and…"

'I won't tell anyone" said Buffy, "although I think you just blurted in out in a panic, but still… I swear I won't tell anyone."

"Thank you," whispered Tara as Buffy nudged the witch with her elbow, "but there's something you should know."

"Is It about… ah…"

"It's about Faith," whispered Tara as the both of them turned to look at the newest Slayer dancing with two guys, "she lied."

"About?" asked Buffy as she and Tara looked at each other.

"Her Watcher being at a retreat," whispered Tara as Buffy nodded her head. She then told Tara that they'll ask Giles about it tomorrow. Tara just nodded her head before they turned to look at the dancing dark haired Slayer; wondering why she lied about her watcher.

TBC.


	23. Chapter 23

**The Bronze.**

Tara couldn't believe what she just did as she and the others were about to leave the Bronze. It hand been long before outing herself in what she knew was a spur of the moment loss of her mental faculties by coming out to Buffy. She had felt the blonde's Slayer's nervousness immediately after a silence descended on them following the revelation that Faith was lying about something in regards to her Watcher.

"So…" said Buffy after they looked at each other, and then with their backs to the dance floor where Faith was already dancing with two young men, "did you get anything else or.."

"N.. No," replied Tara as she played with her drink, as did Buffy who was looking down at the glass in her hand. The truth was that even Buffy didn't know what to think, the only other person who knew about Tara was Cordelia and she could always approach her and talk about what she thought about the blonde witch coming out to her. All Buffy knew was that she didn't know what to think, she didn't know what to saw as the sound of music around them seemed so far away. She glanced at Tara who was looking down nervously at her own drink, and the blonde Slayer was looking down at her own.

'What do I say?' thought Buffy to herself as she glanced at the space between them on the couch. She didn't want to move since she was afraid that if she moved away from Tara, then she would think that Buffy judged her… but she also wondered that she'd be giving Tara the wrong impression that she was attracted to her by sitting closer, 'what do I do? I can't just say I have to go and dance… that sounds worse. And IF I say that we should leave for the library with Faith right now and find out what's going on, then she'll think that I'm either judging her or I want to forget about what she just told me. Which brings me back to my problem, what do I do?'

It didn't take Buffy long before Tara whispered that she should go onto the dance floor. Tara looked over her shoulder at Faith dancing, and then turned to Buffy saying that Faith was hogging all the single guys. Buffy just looked at Tara, who then looked away after saying that she was going to be alright on her own.

As Tara looked away, Buffy was even more confused about what to do. She was thinking that if she stayed with Tara after what she just said, then it would be entirely possible that she would get the wrong impression. But then again, Buffy's thoughts turned to Tara getting being hurt that she left for the dance floor.

Buffy looked at Faith dancing before biting her lower lip. Closing her eyes as she came to a decision, Buffy slowly got up and asked Tara to join t he rest of them on the dance floor.

"I have two left feet, Buffy," smiled Tara, "but seriously, you should go. Or else Faith will be taking all the available boys."

"Yeah, right," chuckled Buffy.

"Go ahead, Buffy," said Tara nodding towards the dance floor.

The blonde Slayer then just nodded her head with a small smile before she headed for the dance floor. Stopping just before getting in, Buffy looked back at the blonde who was now facing away from her and hesitated.

'She's get the wrong impression if I go back now,' thought Buffy to herself before she made he way onto the dance floor.

IN the meantime, all Tara could do was sigh before rubbing her forehead. All she could thing about right no was to try and get back to the right frame of mind. She just wanted to go home, curl up against her mother and just sleep until morning… hoping that this night was just a dream.

It would be an hour later that Willow and Oz would be the first ones back to the seating area. Oz slumped down on the couch facing Tara, and Willow then fell tired on his lap; the both of them asking why Tara wasn't out there with them.

"Two left feet," chuckled Tara as she broke herself out of her reverie, "I dance like a spaz."

Willow chuckled before saying that half of the people danced like spaz's, "and me too."

"She does," said Oz with Tara chuckling when Willow looked at him with mock horror. It was then that Cordelia and Xander returned, the young man flopping down next to Tara while Cordelia sat on an armchair before grabbing a muffin. She then leaned back and bit into it while Xander talked to Tara.

The group was laughing and talking while Buffy and Faith were still dancing on the floor for a few more minutes before pushing the young men, who were trying to get their numbers, away and heading for the seating area.

"See," said Faith as she and Buffy weaved through the dancing crowd, "told ya it would be fun."

"Yea," yelled Buffy over the loud music while making their way out of the dance floor. Reaching the seating area where the others were gathers, Faith put her hands in her pockets before saying that she was going to be leaving. It was something Buffy agreed with as well, "actually, I think I'm going to start my patrol before heading home."

"You sure?" asked Xander.

"Yeah," said Buffy as she glanced at Tara, who was looking at the table in front of her, "i… I mean it's getting late and maybe I could get a few hours in while heading home."

"I'm go with ya, B," said Faith shrugging her shoulders, "home's on the way."

"You live around here?" asked Willow.

"The Sunnydale Motor Inn," replied Faith before turning back to Buffy, "wanna get going?"

"Is… is it safe?" asked Tara as she looked at Faith, "I… I mean staying in a motel?"

"When's anything safe for a Slayer?" asked Faith with a chuckle before grabbing Buffy's arm, "come on, B. I'm itching for a few dustings, and then maybe I'll find a guy and work out the aftermath with him."

"Faith," said a horrified Buffy as the dark haired Slayer chuckled while patting her shoulder.

"Just kidding," said Faith before winking at the others, "maybe… see ya guys."

"Night, Buffy," said Willow as she waved at her best friend. Buffy then turned to Tara as she was pulled out of the club, while waving at her and then at the others. Tara then sighed before saying that it was time they left, that Sarah should be coming by to pick her up in a few minutes.

 **Sunnydale High, 1030 hours.**

Just as soon as class was finished, Buffy turned to Tara, who was seated next to her, and asked her to go on ahead to the library with Faith and the others should be there. Nodding her head before looking away, Tara walked off through the door with Buffy looking on before she turned to Cordelia who was just about to walk past her. Grabbing the young woman's arm, much to her surprise, Buffy asked if she cold talk with her.

"You don't need to grab me with your man hands," said Cordelia as she jerked her arm out of Buffy's grip, "what's your problem?"

"Umm…" said Buffy as she looked around as the other students were leaving the room, followed by the teacher who quickly turned and asked if the two young women were leaving. Buffy simply smiled and said that she and Cordelia needed to talk about some study plans for the upcoming exam, at which the teacher nodded her head before leaving. Buffy waited for the door to close before sighing and then turning towards Cordelia who was frowning at her.

"Well?" asked Cordelia.

"Tara told me about… umm… you know…" said Buffy nervously as she rubbed the back of her head while the young woman in front of her sighed. Buffy then put her arms by her side before telling Cordelia that it wasn't planned, that Tara seemed to have just blurted it out when she was bugging her to go and dance.

"And?" asked Cordelia waving her hands.

"I mean… you knew about Tara beings.. you know… and…" asked Buffy, "I mean it's cool with me and all but…"

"But what?" asked Cordelia who was already getting frustrated, "just spill it."

"I mean… what if Tara wants to date me or… I mean.. what do I say if she finds me attractive or…"

"Seriously?" laughed Cordelia as Buffy looked on with a frown on her face.

"It's not funny."

"Yeah, it is," laughed Cordelia as Buffy put her hands on her hips and glared at her. She waited a few seconds as Cordelia calmed down, and wiped the tears that were forming at the sides of her eyes. Cordelia then looked at Buffy again and held back a laugh, "you really think highly of yourself don't you?"

"No, I…." said Buffy when she was interrupted by Cordelia.

"All the girls here see me as the one to look up to, and…"

"Now who's being full of herself," snorted Buffy while Cordelia rolled her eyes upwards.

"Like I was saying," repeated Cordelia, "everyone looks at me, and thinks 'I want to be just like Cordelia', I like that. And having a real lesbian potentially check me out, without that whole thing about just looking at me as the one to aim for kind of feels nice."

"So you're telling me that if you weren't with Xander then you would… I mean…"

"If Tara asked?" said Cordelia, "then I'd consider it. But I know she won't... but then again, since you think your date material… maybe she'll ask you out."

"But… I…" stuttered Buffy as Cordelia interrupted her.

"I'm comfortable with who I am that I'll be flattered if she thinks I'm attractive," said Cordelia as she headed towards the door while Buffy just looked on, "are you? I'm going to the library; take whatever time you want. I'll tell the others that you're having an early mid-life crisis, or something."

Cordelia then closed the door behind her, leaving Buffy alone in the room with her thoughts. She frowned while picking up her bag from the floor before she headed for the door, opened it, and then walked out into the hallway. As she was walking down the hallways, Buffy held her books tightly to her chest while her backpack was slung over one of her shoulders and swinging against her back. All the while she was wondering about what Cordelia had told her before leaving.

It was a few minutes later that Buffy swung the doors to the library where she saw Faith seated on the table talking to Giles. Buffy nodded at the newest Slayer, and then she glanced over at Cordelia who was seated next to Tara and Xander while Willow as patting her hand on the seat next to her. Buffy took her seat as Tara gave her a small smile, which soon disappeared as she narrowed her eyes in concern at the blonde Slayer.

'She knows something's wrong,' thought Buffy to herself, 'I… I need to talk to her and..'

"Buffy?" asked Tara, "you alright?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah… yeah, I'm okay.. peachy keen," squeaked Buffy as she sat up straight.

'Yea, you really need to talk to Tara, Summers,' thought Buffy to herself as she looked down at the table, as did Tara.

TBC.


	24. Chapter 24

**Sunnydale High Infirmary, 1345 hours.**

Sarah was gently pushing the latest injured student out the door, a young man who slipped and twisted his ankle, with his friends. She told the young man, who was using a crutch, that he needed to keep his weight off the injured foot.. with some of his friends saying that it would be impossible since he loved putting that foot in his mouth. Chuckling at the expression of horror on the injured young man's face, Sarah watched as he waved back at her before leaving the infirmary with his friends. Sighing, Sarah then went to the desk in the corner, before sitting down and taking out a novel. Once she reached the seventh page, the door opened to the infirmary, and Tara walked in with a nervous look on her face.

"Hey," said Sarah as she put down the novel and stood up. She headed for her daughter and hugged her tight. It had been since last night that Sarah noticed that something was troubling Tara, she could read in on her daughter's face instead of her aura. Sarah stepped back and caressed Tara's cheeks before asking gently if everything was alright. Tara nodded her head, which Sarah knew was a lie, as she talked about Faith and her lying again about why she was in Sunnydale, and about her Watcher being in some retreat in England. The Young woman then reminded Sarah that she had to see Faith later on after school so that she could get a medical done.

"I remember, sweetie," Sarah replied Gently as she held Tara's hand and walked towards her desk. Sarah pulled up a chair for Tara, patted down on the cushion, and then asked her to take a seat while Sarah sat on her chair. Eventually, the both of them were face to face, Tara looking away from Sarah nervously with her hair falling over her face. Reaching forward, Sarah swept Tara's hair behind her ears and asked, once again, if everything was alright.

"I.. I think I made a mistake, momma," sighed Tara as she looked into her mother's eyes.

"You seemed upset last night," said Sarah gently, "I didn't want to push it but… maybe I should have and…"

"I should have told you," whispered Tara as she held onto Sarah's hands, "I… I told Buffy that I was… I mean… that I'm gay."

"Oh," whispered Sarah as she gently squeezed Tara's hand, "can I ask why…"

"It was just something that came out," said Tara as she waved one hand about, "I mean she was asking me to go dancing and.. and I saw Willow dancing with Oz, and Faith dancing with another guy, and Xander and Cordelia dancing and…"

"Calm down, sweetie," said Sarah as she moved her chair closer to Tara.

"I've never dated a guy, momma," whispered Tara, "the people I've been interested in were all girls and… and I… I don't know why I told her. Maybe because I wanted to dance with Willow and Buffy or… I mean I don't know how to dance with guys or… or if there's a difference. I mean, maybe it's just that I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of Buffy."

"So you're interested in Buffy?" Sarah cheekily asked.

"Momma," cried out Tara, "this is serious."

"I'm sorry, honey, I was just trying to get you to smile," whispered Sarah as Tara looked down at the floor, "Tara, she's just surprised. That's all it is, this doesn't mean that she's not going to talk to you, or…"

"When I saw her at the library a few hours ago, it was like she couldn't even see me, momma," whispered Tara as she looked down at the floor while recalling the blonde Slayer's aura when they were in the library with Faith, "maybe I was stupid in thinking that since Cordelia was okay with me being…"

"Cordelia knows?" asked Sarah with an eyebrow raised.

"And she's accepting of me, momma," said Tara as she looked up at Sarah, tears welling in her eyes, "I can see it in her aura that she's not afraid or disgusted… it's more like she's excited, even if she doesn't show it."

"Don't cry, sweetie," cooed Sarah, wiping the tears from Tara's eyes.

"Maybe it's better if we do leave Sunnydale," whispered Tara as she looked down at the floor and wiped her eyes.

"Listen to me, Tara." Tara looked back up at her mother who reassured her that this was something that would pass. That Buffy was just surprised at finding out this new information, and reminded Tara that not everyone can digest such change at the same speed. Tara nodded her head as Sarah leaned forward and hugged her daughter while whispering in her ear if she actually talked to Buffy.

"She seemed nervous," whispered Tara as she held on tight to Sarah, "I.. I think it's because she thinks…"

"You don't know," whispered Sarah before she looked into Tara's eyes again, and wiped some of her tears, "Tara, give her time. If she doesn't accept you then… then maybe she's not really the friend you want by your side."

"But… but she's a Slayer, and…"

"Doesn't matter," replied Sarah as she stroked the side of Tara's face, "I always thought that Cordelia was an airhead, but… but if she's accepting of you, then you can find more people like her here. Buffy's not the only person you could be friends with."

"I… I.. guess, and…." Before Tara could finish what she wanted to say, the door to the infirmary opened. Tara and Sarah looked up to see Buffy and Xander walking in, the blonde Slayer giving a small smile to Tara, who looked away and wiped her eyes. The young woman had forgotten that this was Buffy and Xander's free period, and the two of them were supposed to be working for an hour with Sarah, while Willow was supposed to be helping Jenny with coding a program.

"Hi, Tara," said Buffy as she approached the young woman whose head was facing the floor, while he eyes were nervously looking at Sarah, "you… you left the library before I could talk and…"

"Hey Tara," said an excited Xander who, after placing some books on another table, patted her shoulder, "I didn't know you were joining us and…"

"Xander," said Sarah as she stood up, with Tara looking up at her mother in surprise, "you and I need to get some supplies from the storeroom, we're nearly out of gauze, plaster, and… and there are other stuff we need to get."

"Momma," whispered Tara who had her eyes wide open at Sarah while holding onto her hand.

"I'll be right down the hallway, honey," whispered Sarah as she hugged the younger blonde witch, "look closely at Buffy's aura, I think your fear is blinding you to what she's really feeling; I think she's just unsure of how to act, and she's worried."

Tara glanced at Buffy who was looking away, and at the floor while scratching the back of her head while Xander was rearing to go next to her. She saw that she was worried, but Tara also felt that Buffy was worried for her.. leading Tara to nod her head. She slowly let go of Sarah's hand, and then the school nurse led Xander out of the infirmary, and down to hallway.

"You… you left the library before I could say anything," whispered Buffy as she approached Tara. She glanced at Tara, and her lips were pursed upon seeing the nervousness that was etched on the Witch's face, "I… I know my reaction last night was… I mean… I was a little bit…"

"I know…" whispered Tara as she looked down at the floor, and then up at Buffy, "I saw your aura and… and in the library I.. I thought you didn't like what you heard, and…"

"I was just surprised, Tara," Buffy told the young woman gently as she sat in front of her. Buffy wanted to reach for Tara's hands, but thought the better of it, afraid that she'll give the wrong impression, "and.. and I mean I don't know what to say, and or act and…. I mean…"

"I'm still me," squeaked Tara as she shrugged her shoulders.

"I mean,," sighed Buffy as she rubbed her face with her hands, "Tara, I…. I like guys and.. and I don't know if you're attracted to me or if I… I mean I don't know what to say if you're attracted to me or… you know what I mean?"

"Oh," Tara looked up at the Slayer in surprise. Tara discovered that what she believed to be Buffy's disgust and confusion about her being gay was partly true. She wasn't disgusted at her, but Buffy was confused. And the truth was, so was Tara. While her first crush was Willow, now a non-starter since she was dating Oz, Tara had been looking at Buffy; especially last night. Tara recalled the smell of her perfume when they walked into the Bronze, she remembered looking back over her shoulder as Buffy danced with one guy after another; she remembered the way she danced and then looked away suddenly. Back in the present, Tara wanted to tell Buffy that she thought she had developed a little crush… a harmless crush, but thought the better of it.

"I… I'm not attracted to you, Buffy," whispered Tara. She saw a mixture of emotions in Buffy's aura that didn't match with the relief etched on her face. Tara saw from the blonde's aura that she was surprised, and a little bit disappointed; but the young woman's facial features showed her face lighting up.

"OH… good," said Buffy. It was then she realized what she said before correcting herself, "I mean I wouldn't make a good girlfriend and… I mean, I'm not really into girls that way or… I know I should have said this earlier but I'm not angry at you or anything, just that I was a bit… I mean, I didn't know if you find me attractive or.."

"I… I don't, Buffy," said Tara with her eyes narrowed as she shook her head.

"Good, good," nodded Buffy as she tightened her hands on her own knees while she was sitting on the chair. Her excitement faded while she continued to say 'good', and nodding her head. Buffy then looked at Tara and winced, "I spazzed out, didn't I?"

"A little bit," replied Tara as she held out her hand, and brought her thumb and forefinger just inches to each other… but not touching, "just so you know, I don't look at every girl and go 'umm, she's hot'."

"Really?" asked Buffy as she tilted her head, "hey, wait a second… why aren't you attracted to me? I'm kinda hot and peppy."

"Buffy," said Tara shaking her head as a small smile formed on her face while the blonde Slayer continued to talk.

"I was a cheerleader, and I'm fashionable and… oh.. oh... I can be very limber and…."

"Buffy!" laughed Tara as the Slayer stopped talking and smiled at the witch who was waving her hands while begging her to stop talking, "please, in the name of all the goddesses, stop talking."

"I'm sorry I spazzed out," said Buffy once Tara had calmed down, "but this is something new for me. I've never met anyone who's… you know… gay."

Tara nodded her head as she wiped her eyes; the tears from her laughing fit still falling down her cheeks. The Slayer leaned forward and told Tara, who did everything she could to just stop herself from closing her eyes and taking in the scent of Buffy's body-spray, that the next time they went to the Bronze… she'll be Tara's wing-woman.

"Wing-woman?" smirked Tara.

"Yea," said Buffy as she leaned back on her chair, "I'll pick out some girls for you, and you…."

"Buffy," chuckled Tara as she leaned forward, "I don't wanna be run out of town."

"But…." Said Buffy before she sighed and nodded her head. Based on her own reaction, she understood that there would be others who would try to do even worse things to Tara. The Slayer then asked her If she was going to tell the other Scoobies, "Oz will be fine with knowing the truth about you, and I can bet you that Willow will be too. Although she's going to have a bunch of questions to ask you."

"I bet," chuckled Tara, who was going to continue saying something but was interrupted by Buffy.

"Giles is going to be okay with it.. I guess," said Buffy as she rubbed the back of her head and looked out into the distance before turning back to Tara, "and probably Faith too.. I mean, I know we don't know her well enough yet. Eh.. maybe later. Anyway…. I know Xander's going to be excited."

"Oh boy," laughed Tara as she leaned back, "can you imagine?"

"The thoughts that'll be going through his head," chuckled Buffy. The both of them laughed for a few more seconds, before Buffy leaned forward against and asked Tara to think about it, "I know I messed up the first time you told me. But I know the others won't. And.. and give me some time to get used to all this.. I don't hate you, and you don't disgust me or anything like that… this is just different for me. And…."

"I know," said Tara, the both of them then turning their heads just as the door opened with Xander walking in carrying five boxes, and Sarah carrying one bag with a grin plastered on her face. The both of them put the items they were carrying on a table, and then walked towards Buffy and Tara.

"So," said Sarah as she stroked the back of Tara's haired before leaning down and kissing the top of her head, "everything good?"

"Yea, momma," said Tara.

"We're good, Mrs Collins," smiled Buffy before she glanced at Tara, and then at the older woman once again, "we're good."

"Wait, was there a moment that things weren't good?" asked a very confused Xander while Sarah told him, and Buffy, to followed her..

"Just a figure of speech, Xander," chuckled Buffy who was looking at Xander, before getting off her seat. Tara turned to see Buffy and Xander heading to the boxes. With a look of resolve on her face, Tara stood up, and then grabbed Buffy's arm before turning around the surprised Slayer. Tara grabbed her waist, and then the back of her head. And before Xander could say anything, Tara pulled Buffy in and gave her a deep kiss. A kiss that Buffy returned while Xander looked on stunned with his eyes wide open. Eventually a smile formed on his lips while Sarah just chuckled and walked away.

Back in the chair, Tara shook her head and pushed away that particular daydream before she squeaked, telling her mother that she was heading for the library. Sarah saw the embarrassment in her daughter's aura, and although she had many questions, the woman nodded her head as Buffy and Xander waved and said "see you later".

"What was that about?" asked Xander as he watched Tara closed the door behind her, but not before she told Sarah that she'll see her again after school.

"I have no idea," mumbled Buffy as she looked at the embarrassed look that Tara gave her before literally running away. Buffy then turned to Sarah, and raised her eyebrows; but all Sarah could do while Xander was looking away, was just smile at her before looking away.

All Buffy could do was shake her head, and smile as she went back to helping Xander restock the cabinets while wondering what made Tara so embarrassed. She also wondered if she actually wanted to know what it was.

TBC.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N:** I will be taking a break for about two months, at the most. There's some real life stuff that I need to take care off that's been weighing me down while writing these stories, and I'd like to get them out of the way ( I thought I could do those, and write these stories at the same time; but my other personal stuff has been suffering). The first being writing another draft of a research proposal for admission to a few PhD programs, and the second being learning SAP and Data Management techniques in a course at the local university. I hope you guys understand the need for this break, and I will get back to uploading the newest chapters at the end of the two months. Any further updates will be on my profile.

 **Sunnydale High Infirmary, 1700 hours.**

Sarah was setting up the items she needed to run a check-up on Faith; she placed everything on a tray which she then carried to a side table near a bed, one of two in the infirmary. The woman then pulled the curtain to the edge of one side of the bed, but not around it… at least not yet. Just as she was heading back to her table to grab a clipboard that had a piece of paper containing a list of things she needed to check out, it was something hand written that indicated the Slayer's condition. She had done the same for Buffy and Kendra, the latter had undergone it the previous time she was in Sunnydale before her untimely death. As Sarah picked up the board, she heard the door open; turning her head, she smiled and strolled toward Giles and Faith who were coming towards her.

"Ms. Sarah Collins," said Giles as he stood next to Faith, and motioned towards her, "this is Faith, the newest Slayer to be activated."

"Faith," continued Giles as the dark haired Slayer nodded her head at Sarah, "Ms. Collins is Tara's mother."

"Oh," replied Faith while she nodded her head, "she said something about her mom being in the school."

"Yep," beamed Sarah as she rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet, "so you know what's going to happen now? I'm going to be.."

"Look," said Faith as she put both of her hands up, "I already told this to the G-man."

"Please don't call me that," interrupted Giles while Faith smirked glancing at him, and then she looked back at Sarah. The Slayer then continued, "I'm probably not going to stay here long anyway and… and I'm not a charity case that you and the G-man here has to…"

"We already talked about this, Faith," said Giles, "this isn't about us being charitable, we just want to make sure that you're alright."

"Faith," said Sarah gently while the Slayer scowled at Giles. She then turned to Sarah, and placed her hands into her pocket while glaring at the school nurse, her body language was trying to tell Sarah that that she didn't need any help. But there was something underneath the exuding toughness that Sarah could see, something she could sense; fear, and a great sadness. Sarah knew that she had to tread lightly, that if she pushed Faith, then she could very well leave. And they couldn't force her to stay in Sunnydale, "could we just talk?"

"I…"

"Just you and me," said Sarah before she looked at Giles.

"Rupert," she continued, "could you please give me and Faith the room? We'll meet you and the others in the library once we're done with the check-up."

"I never said I was staying for a check-up," said Faith with an eyebrow raised.

"Well, let's talk first," said Sarah looking at Faith, "and if you still want to leave, then there's nothing we can do."

"Sarah?" asked Giles.

"You can stop a teenaged girl from doing something that she shouldn't be doing?" asked Sarah with a smirk on her face turning to Giles, "because if you have the secret? Oh, it would help me so much."

Sarah smiled while Faith smirked at Giles, who sighed and then rubbed the back of his head. The older blonde could see Giles looking away thoughtfully while he remembered his early days with Buffy, and her stubborn streak. Something that still plagued him to this day. Shaking his head, the man then sighed again and nodded his head, but not before assuring Faith that he didn't want to see her leave.

Once Giles left the infirmary, and closed the doors behind him, Sarah motioned towards the bed. The two of them strolled towards the bed where Faith shook her head and mumble that what she was trying to do was ridiculous, before grabbing the edge and then putting herself on the bed. Her legs swinging from the edge, Faith looked on as Sarah pulled a chair from behind her desk, and then sat down about two steps from the dark haired Slayer.

"Faith, first things first, anything that you tell me is between the both of us," said Sarah as Faith just looked at her, "I don't know what your life has been like, but I know it's been hard and.."

"You don't know my life," said Faith with her voice tinged with a bit of anger.

"I don't," said Sarah shaking her head vigorously, before she whispered "but I know you're troubled by something. I'm going to be honest with you, and just like I won't repeat to anyone what you tell me… I ask that you don't tell anyone what I tell you."

"Fine," huffed Faith while she rubbed the side of her face. The Slayer felt bored being in the room, all she wanted to do was get out. She was hopeful that she wasn't followed to Sunnydale, because if she was, she didn't want to build any attachments to anyone in case she had to leave.

"I can read aura's," whispered Sarah as Faith's eyes went wide. The blonde knew that Faith was a Slayer, and she was obviously aware that the young woman knew that Buffy was another Slayer. But she wasn't sure if Faith was aware that Tara was a witch, Oz a werewolf, and Willow a witch in training; so Sarah felt it better not to say anything about them for now. Leaning forward, Sarah then told Faith, "I can see that you're troubled, Faith. And I know you're going to say that you're not… but aura's don't lie. Like I said, I'm not going to tell anyone what you tell me. You want someone to talk to that you can't talk to Rupert, Jenny, or Joyce about? Then you talk to me; I'll keep your secrets."

"I…" Faith's voice trailed off before she closed her eyes and hung her head. She didn't know what to make of the woman in front of her. He watcher did say something about there being people who could read aura's, and these people could tell if others were telling the truth or a lie, and then there were others who could tell how another person was feeling just by aura reading. And Faith didn't know which one Sarah was, but as Faith opened her eyes… she looked at the expression on the woman's face. The life that Faith led before becoming a Slayer meant that she needed to be tough, that what she had done in her early years meant that she had to learn to read people; she leant their body language to learn what she could about them, particularly if they were lying.

And from the way that Sarah was carrying herself even while sitting down, Faith could tell she was telling the truth.

"Fine," sighed Faith while she shook her head, and then scowled at Sarah, "what do you want to know?"

"First thing's first, what's your last name?" asked Sarah. It was a question that surprised Faith, something that she tried hard to hide from Sarah; no one had asked her that question except for her Watcher. Not the men she had stayed with on the streets after leaving her parents, not the men who had done things to her that she locked in the back on her mind, and not even the Scoobies. She looked at Sarah, the first person in a long time to ask for her last name, and then looked away. She hated her last name, but just someone asking about it again surprised her.

"Lehane," mumbled Faith, "my name's Faith Lehane."

"That's a nice name," smiled Sarah.

"It's not," sneered Faith as she glared at Sarah. The Slayer then realized what she was doing before she looked away, her face now calm. Sarah had seen the rage in her aura at the mention of her last name, and she resolved to ask the young girl about it later.

"Alright, Faith," said Sarah as she wrote down her name on the clipboard, before looking up, "I've done this for both Buffy and Kendra."

She showed Faith the paper on the clipboard which consisted of a place to write a name, date, and there was an outline of a body on one side of the paper, and lines for notes on another side. Faith frowned at the paper and then looked away, telling Sarah that she changed her mind, she didn't want to be checked out. Sarah looked at Faith, and noted the mixture of emotions that were coming off her before taking a seat again. Sarah then looked at the outline, and then back up at Faith who was about to get off the bed. Instead, taking a stab in the dark about why Faith was uneasy while getting sick to her stomach, afraid of what she was going to find, Sarah stood up and asked Faith to just hold off before she decided to leave.

"Sarah, look… thanks," said Faith as she hopped off the bed, "I get that you're trying to help and… and that you seem like a nice lady. And trust me, I've seen my share of nice ladies and what happens to them when I'm around. I should get going and…"

"Has someone hit you?" asked Sarah, her voice low, as Faith stopped what she was about to say.. and froze while glaring at the nurse.

"You don't know what you're talking about," hissed Faith as she rolled her hands into fists. It was something that Sarah noticed, but she didn't feel any fear towards the young woman.

"I know it's.." said Sarah. But Faith interrupted her by grabbing her arm tightly.

"You know nothing," hissed the glaring Faith at Sarah, who could see the anger coming right off her, "you promised you won't tell this to anyone, so I except you to hold yourself to that and.. and I'm getting out of here so that.."

"I know," said Sarah as she looked straight into Faith's eyes, "I know exactly what it's like."

Sarah then asked Faith to release her arm, which the Slayer did. Faith had her arms on either side of her body before she stepped back. Sarah then took off her coat while Faith looked on, wondering what was going on. After Sarah placed her coat on the seat back, she then turned around while in her jeans and red blouse… and pulled the back of her blouse up.

And Faith's eyes went wide open.

"I know what it's like, Faith," whispered Sarah as she looked back over her shoulder. She saw the wetness in Faith's eyes as she stared at the older woman's back, and then shook her head, "they're real."

Faith reached out, and gingerly brushed her fingers on Sarah's healed scars… scars that seem to have been made by a whip. After Faith pulled her hand back, Sarah then tucked her blouse back in, and turned around to face Faith.

"My husband told me that my body was a host for a demon," said Sarah as Faith continued to look at her while the older blonde motioned at her to take a seat. Staring at Sarah, while walking toward the edge of the bed, the Slayer then sat down on the mattress as the nurse told Faith that the details on how she got the scars didn't matter, "Tara has already seen me at my worst. And she patched me up many times. So I know what you most likely went through. You're not alone, Faith."

Faith just looked at her before closing her eyes. She then nodded her head before Sarah gently squeezed the young Slayer's shoulder, and then closed the curtain around the entire bed for privacy.

Behind the privacy of the curtain, Sarah checked the young Slayer's vitals, her reflexes, all before asking her to pull up her shirt. Nodding her head, Faith did so… and then Sarah gasped when she saw the extent of the scars on Faith's back. There were long slash marks that went across her back, and cigarette burns in a few places; but all seemed to be concentrated on her back. Sarah then asked Faith to pull her shirt back down before she rubbed her forehead, and then asked if she could sit on the bed, next to her.

"Yeah, whatever," replied Faith as she brushed the hair off her forehead and behind her ear.

"I know Slayer's heal fast," whispered Sarah, "the only time I've seen scars like yours… except for the burn marks, was on Kendra the day she was here. She had marks all over her body, but that was because she was trained to become a Slayer since she was young."

"So?" asked Faith.

"I understand if you don't want to tell me," whispered Sarah gently, "but I'm guessing that you weren't trained to become a Slayer ever since you were a child. Some of your scars look recent, I'm guessing from training with your Watcher when you were activated. But the other scars were old. Faith, did someone other than your Watcher hurt you? Your parent? Someone you know?"

Faith simply looked at Sarah, unable to make sense of the woman in front of her. The Slayer knew first hand that people would eventually betray her, that all people were the same and people just existed to be used. But there was something different she could feel in her being right at this moment. She looked away from Sarah, and back onto her bed.

Faith heard the bed creek as Sarah hopped off, but not before saying gently that if she ever needed to talk to someone in confidence.. then she'd be there.

"Other than the scars," said Sarah while Faith was fighting with herself on whether to tell her the truth, "and your pressure being a little high, I'd say that you're healthy. And then there is…"

"My parents did this to me," whispered Faith as Sarah tried to hide her anger while she looked away from Faith, and at the floor, "when I got my Slayer stuff, I found my bruises vanished… but the scars stayed."

Sarah then sat down next to Faith, and listened silently to the young woman talk.

TBC.


	26. Chapter 26

**Sunnydale High, Infirmary.**

Sarah was in disbelief at what the young woman next to her was saying. Faith was telling her about her abuse at home with her gambling degenerate of a father, and her alcoholic mother. Sarah listened while nodding her head wordlessly at certain areas while doing everything she could to prevent herself from rolling her hands into fists while grabbing onto the bedsheets. Faith went onto her sexual assault when her mother was passed out drunk; the dark haired Slayer talked about how her mother's 'man of the evening' stumbled into her room drunk. Sarah turned to Faith as she, without an expression on her face, while looking at the bedsheet, told the nurse about how she couldn't do a thing.

"I was activated the next day," said Faith, "the guy was on me again after my bitch of a mom was passed out and… well, he moved in to do his deed and then I felt this power. This power just went into me and... I guess to the bastard I must have looked like I was enjoying myself 'cause he laughed in my face."

Faith gritted her teeth for an instant before telling Sarah that she punched him in the nose. That he got off her while calling her 'bitch' and 'daughter of a whore'. Faith then told Sarah that she just knew that she could fight, that it felt as if it was instinct. Faith said, in a steady voice, that the drunk man looked at her naked form jumping off the bed and then dashing towards him.

"I grabbed him, spun around and threw… I couldn't believe it.. this was a grown-ass guy and I threw him into a wall," said Faith as a smirk appeared on her face while she recalled the memory, "and then I kicked him, I punched him… I kept on punching him while screaming at him to beg me to stop."

"And you stopped?" asked Sarah looking back at Faith.

"He was crying like a baby saying that he had a wife and kid, begging me not to kill him," said Faith who continued to look straight ahead at the bedsheet, "so I stopped, and then I kicked his balls. Then I packed some stuff, and I got out of there."

"Your mother?" asked Sarah.

"She doesn't matter, she was passed out drunk the whole time on the couch," said Faith looking up at Sarah, "maybe she's in jail for being the whore that she is. As for daddy dearest? He's in prison, so all I have right now is Diana."

"The woman who Rupert said is your Watcher, Diana Dormer?" asked Sarah. Faith nodded her head before looking away at the floor. She then started talking about how, for a few months, she had been living on the streets before Dormer found her and took her in. Sarah listened to the Slayer's use of the present tense as she talked about Dormer and what she had done for her.

Every time Faith talked about Dormer in the present tense was a lie. Sarah knew that there was the Slayer was lying when Faith said that Dormer had gone to the Watchers retreat in the Cotswolds; but not before telling Faith to find Buffy and Giles in Sunnydale.

"She said she'll pick me up from here, and then we're going back to Boston," explained Faith, "so… yeah. I'm not going to be here long and…"

"Faith," said Sarah as she turned her body and looked at the dark haired Slayer, "I know you're not telling me everything about your Watcher. I… I want to help you, and…"

"Diana's safe in the land of tea and scones," said Faith shaking her head as she raised her arms up, "I told you everything you wanted to know about my health and how I got my scars, and… yeah. Diana and me? We're cool… I'm gonna be leaving soon anyway with her and…"

"I told you I can detect a lie," said Sarah gently as Faith looked away, "Faith, everything you told me was the truth, except for what happened to Dr. Dormer. Is she in the Cotswolds?"

"Yes, she…"

"Faith," said Sarah gently while shaking her head, "we want you to be safe. All of us want you to be safe. I know you're not telling me the truth about Dr. Dormer but… but I'm not going to force you."

Faith nodded her head before she turned her body until her legs were hanging off the edge of the bed. Sarah could see that the Slayer hesitated for just an instant before hopping off the bed, and then pulling the curtain aside and walking out. Sighing, Sarah got off the bed and then pushed the curtain away to reveal the entire bed while Faith was standing near the desk.

"So, that it?" asked Faith as Sarah nodded her head. Faith then waved her goodbyes before telling Sarah that she'll see her and the others later, that she wanted to get out of the School and get some sleep at home. Before Sarah could say anything else, Faith was already out the infirmary doors and into the hallways outside. She sighed before picking up the phone and then calling Giles' office in the rear of the library.

"Hey," said Sarah as she sat down and rubbed her forehead, "I just checked Faith and… no, I can't tell you any medical observations. You know that."

"Sorry, Sarah," whispered Giles before he closed his door while Xander, Buffy, Willow, and Tara were in the library studying for a test set to take place in the next period, "I shouldn't have asked. Did you find out anything on Diana Dormer?"

"Tara was right," said Sarah, "Faith is hiding something. She wouldn't tell me what it is. So I guess we have to wait until your contacts get back to you."

"Yes," sighed Giles while rubbing his forehead.

"And Rupert," said Sarah, "whatever the truth turns out to be, we cannot be confrontational about it."

"I understand," replied Giles.

"In the meantime," said Sarah, "I suggest you start training Buffy alongside Faith, at least until we know the truth about Dr. Dormer."

"I already have a plan for that, Sarah," smiled Giles as he looked at the paper on his office table that contained outlines on training sessions for both Faith and Buffy.

"I'll see you all after school," said Sarah as she got off her seat as two girls brought in a friend of theirs who was hopping on one leg. Sarah put the phone down and then rushed to the girl, asking her what happened before telling her friends to put her on the bed.

 **Sunnydale Motor Inn, 1700 hours.**

Tara and Sarah got out of the car and walked into the main office where they saw the bald manager in a 'wife-beater', and shorts, watching TV. Sarah rang the buzzer at the desk and watched as the man huffed before tearing his head away from the TV. He got up and then looked both Sarah and Tara up and down before gruffly demanding to know what it is that they wanted.

"Room number for Faith Lehane," said Sarah with her hands on top of the desk, "please."

"I can't violate the privacy of my guests," said the man with a smug look on his face, "of course if the both of you want to…"

"Room number, now," said Sarah, her face expressionless, while Tara frowned at the man while the older woman took her hands off the table, reached into her bag, and then placed a fifty-dollar bill on the desk. The man smirked at the both of them, and then grabbed the cash, telling them that Faith's room was Apartment Three.

"That was quick," said Tara as she frowned at the man before the two of them left, and the man went back to watching Television. As the doors to the office closed, the man mumbled to himself that Faith was going to be getting lucky.

Tara and Sarah walked past their car, and towards Apartment Three which was only a few doors down. With Faith out of the Sunnydale High campus, Sarah, Giles, and Jenny had a quick chat about the young Slayer. With Tara, Buffy, and the others present as well… Sarah found out where Faith was staying from the blonde Slayer.

A motel. Faith was staying at a motel.

This particular motel.

Giles had said that staying in a motel meant that Faith was in danger of being attacked by vampires since it was a public place. So there were no safeguards against a vampire just simply walking into a room and attacking her. With Joyce joining them at the library after work, they had brought her up to speed on Faith's living situation. None of them talked about anything that Faith had told Sarah since the latter was adamant that she would not break her confidence. Back to the discussion they had about Faith's living situation, it was Sarah and Tara who offered to have Faith stay with them instead of living in the motel while she was in Sunnydale.

However, it was Joyce who pointed out that Sarah and Tara had only two bedrooms.

"I can share," Tara had said, with Buffy eventually pointing out that her room was small; that two people won't be able to comfortably fit inside. It was then that Xander raised his hand saying that he wouldn't want anyone to suffer by staying in his house with his constantly shouting parents. It was something that Sarah agreed with, given what she had seen on Faith's body but she still never said anything, instead suggesting that they could move to a new apartment once the lease was up. But that in the meantime, Faith would need to stay with someone.

"I have a one bedroom flat," said Giles fixing his glasses, "and there would be rumours abound if any of my neighbours found out about an under-aged girl staying with me."

"She should stay with us," said Joyce while Buffy nodded her head, "she can stay in the guest room next to Buffy's room. It's not that big, but there's a bed, and a desk. There are some boxes there that we can move to the basement."

Joyce glanced over at Sarah, and could tell from the expression on her face that she wanted Faith to live with her. She guessed that the dark-haired Slayer must have said something to her that made Sarah concerned for Faith. Making a mental note to talk to Sarah privately, Joyce said that if Faith felt that she would like to stay with Sarah and Tara, then they could make arrangements while Sarah and Tara find a larger place. It was something that Sarah agreed with.

"Perhaps one of us should talk to Faith?" asked Giles, "while Buffy and Joyce set up Faith's new room?"

It was Buffy, Joyce, Willow, and Xander who agreed to go to the Summers home and help in moving some of the boxes around. In the meantime, Giles was going to do some research with Jenny... with both Sarah and Joyce chuckling to each other before saying that there was going to be a lot of 'research' being done that day.

"Mother!" cried Buffy as Jenny's face became red with embarrassment while Giles fixed his glasses and then stammered for a few minutes before Sarah and Tara left.

And now, they found themselves in front of Apartment Three.

Tara knocked on the door, and the both of them heard the sound of a creaky bed, followed by footsteps running towards them. And then the door opened with Faith eyeing them suspiciously.

"T? Nurse Ratchet?" asked Faith with her eyes narrowed, while both Sarah and Tara smirked.

"We're here for something else, Faith," said Sarah, "nothing that you told me is involved."

"Okay?" said Faith shaking her head, "sooo…?"

"Can we come in?" asked Tara, "we need to talk to you."

Faith looked at the both of them, wondering what was going on. From their expressions, Faith could tell they were serious about whatever it was they wanted to talk about. So Faith nodded her head, and then took a step back, "yeah, come in."

TBC.


	27. Chapter 27

**Sunnydale Motor Inn, 1705 hours.**

Tara and Sarah stepped into Faith's room after she stepped aside, and then once they were in, the Slayer closed the door behind them. Faith then waved her hands around the room, and welcomed the two women to her abode. Tara looked around at the small room that just contained a bed, a small television, a closet where a few clothes were handing, and then a table and empty shelf. The blonde witch then noticed that there weren't any bags anywhere; anything that would show that Faith carried something with her before arriving in Sunnydale.

It was something she took mental note of, combined with the faint smell in the air. Shaking her head, Tara turned to the Slayer as Sarah was telling Faith that she would like for her to stay in one of their homes. It was something that made Faith frown and then say, with a hint of anger in her voice, that she wasn't a charity case. And that she could live on her own, and didn't really need Dormer or Sarah, or anyone.

"Look," said Faith shaking her head as Sarah was about to respond, "I want you guys to leave. Thanks for.. you know, all this…. This intervention or whatever it is… but I don't need help. And…"

"It's not charity, Faith," Tara interrupted as she clasped her hands together, "it's really not. We're just worried about your safety."

"There's nothing to worry about, and…"

"Faith," said Sarah as she sat down on the squeaky bed and looked up at the dark haired Slayer, "you know a motel's not private property. A vampire can just walk in and attack you, I'm asking that you stay with one of us until Professor Dormer gets back. I want you to stay with us and…"

"I…" Faith couldn't even finish what she wanted to say before she lifted her hands up, and signalled Sarah to stop talking. Faith knew she couldn't tell anyone what really happened to her and to Dormer, she couldn't tell them the real reason she was in Sunnydale. She knew that this had gone on far enough, that she needed to leave the city or else 'he' would find her and put everyone in danger, including Buffy, Tara, and Sarah, 'and… and all I'll be able to do is run away.'

"I know you're worried about something," said Sarah as she got up and held Faith's hands in hers, while Tara placed a hand on the Slayer's shoulder, "all I can say is that whatever it is, we can deal with it together."

"I can't," said Faith as she closed her eyes and shook her head, "please… just leave."

'I need to get out of here,' thought Faith to herself as she heard the howl-like scream of Dormer in her mind. However, Faith felt a hand on her cheek causing her to open her eyes and look straight into Sarah's eyes.

"I want you to stay with us," said Sarah as she nodded towards Tara, who replied that she wanted Faith to stay with them as well, "but… given that our apartment is small; Joyce and Buffy would be taking you in with them. In fact, they, Xander and Willow are getting the guest room ready for you. And if you don't feel you want to stay there for the long term, then you are more than welcome to stay with me and Tara once we get a new apartment."

"I… I can't…" said Faith as she jerked her hand out of Sarah's gentle grip, and jerked her shoulder away from Tara's hand. She saw Tara and Sarah stand together before the older woman gently told Faith that they were heading back to the Summers house.

"We'll be telling them you'll be coming by in an hour?" said Tara as she pouted while shrugging her shoulders, "or maybe two?"

"Joyce said she's making pot roast for dinner," whispered Sarah as she turned to Tara, but she was speaking loud enough for Faith to hear.

"And mash," replied Tara with her eyes wide open in excitement, and a toothy smile on her face while glancing at Faith who narrowed her eyes at them and frowned.

"I'm… I'm staying right here," insisted Faith, "thanks for the offer, but… but I won't be here long."

"Just think about it?" asked Sarah as Tara wrote down Buffy's home address. The younger blonde then stood up, and placed the paper with the number on it in Faith's hands. The two guests then nodded at Faith before heading out the door. Once the door was closed, Faith peeked through the eye-hole and watched the two of them walking down past her room. Gath then rested her forehead on the door and sighed. She glance over at the bed, and then looked up at her surroundings… everything was silent.

'Except for the guy with the hooker next door later tonight,' thought Faith as she looked at the TV, and the at her bed. She thought about lying down on the bed, and watching some television before heading out to the local burger place for some food, 'and then I'd be coming back here.'

Faith looked around and felt someone crushing down on her chest. She tried to fight it off, but the weight kept on coming down on her. It was the fact that she was alone. She leaned back on the door and knew that she was alone, in fact she wanted to be alone. Faith knew that anyone who was connected to her would be put into a bad way; with Dormer being only the latest in her long list of people who have reason to be disappointed in her. However, Faith knew that, except for Dormer, there was hardly anyone who would have asked her to move in with them.

And even if they did, there would be conditions of the sexual kind.

Making a fateful decision, Faith took off her clothes and rushed to the shower. After a few minutes, she came out, and then dashed to her closet and changed into a new set of clothes. All the while she was looking at the clock and hoping that she could leave before it got dark. She did not wasn't to run into 'him'. Sighing, Faith picked up Buffy's address, and then walked over to the door… opened it, and then walked out to a surprise.

Faith rarely was surprised. And this took the cake.

She shook her head and smirked as she watched Sarah and T Ara seated in a car, looking at her and waving. There were fries in their hands, and two hanging from the side of Sarah's lips, as Tara pulled down the window, and the peeked her head out.

"I had you coming out in forty minutes," said Tara as Faith couldn't help but chuckle as she strolled towards the car, "momma had you out in an hour. So, I win. Fries?"

Faith reached out and took a handful, bit into one, and then laughed. Tara and Sarah began to giggle while Sarah leaned towards Tara and shouted out the passenger side window that if she wasn't out in two hours, then they were going to force her out somehow.

"Oh I'd love to see that," answered Faith before she opened the rear passenger door, and then stepped into the car. She shut the door, and then told Sarah and Tara who looked back at her that it could wait until another time. That she would love to see how they could force a Slayer out.

"Momma makes some really good cookies," replied Tara proudly, "a whiff of her butterscotch chocolate? Oh yeah, trust me you'll be out. I mean out of the house, and then out of it after you finish a whole batch."

"Oohh," said Faith as she narrowed her eyebrows in disbelief," I don't believe you."

"Well, I guess I'd have to make some then," said Sarah.

"Now?" asked Tara as she took a handful of fries from the bag, and then handed the bag to the ravenous Faith who stated to eat one fry after another, "then we need to get to the grocer and then to Buffy's place."

"Guys," said Faith as she leaned forward, "I was just kidding about the whole… I mean… you didn't have to wait here."

"Nonsense," said Sarah as Faith leaned back in the rear seat while she put the car in reverse, "like Tara said, we would have forced you out, Faith. Trust me, no one can resist my cookies."

Faith gave a small smile as Sarah and Tara talked while Faith looked out the window. The smile on her face vanished while she bit into another fry, followed by another one, and another on. She tried to think about something else while she listened to what Sarah and Tara were talking about… but all Faith could still see in her mind was Dormer lying on the floor, her insides spilled out while the vampire that killed her laughed. She remembered herself screaming as she ran away.

"I ran away," said Faith softly as Tara and Sarah looked at each other, and the talking between them stopped. Sarah looked at Faith from her rear-view mirror, while Tara had turned her body on the seat and asked Faith if she wanted to talk.

"What if I told you that everything's not kosher with me?" asked Faith, who was mentally screaming at herself… shouting 'what the hell are you doing?' as she looked out the window at the fast moving view, "What if I said that I'm a coward and… a so-called Slayer who just ran away from her Watcher. Leaving her to… to die."

Faith then went on to tell the both of them, calmly, about what happened in Boston. She told them about Kakistos, what he did to Dormer; she told them that she injured him, and then just ran away while Dormer screamed in pain. Faith looked out the window while saying that, as she ran away, she looked back at Dormer.

She was still moving, and whispering… despite all the blood on the ground. Despite her insides threatening to fall out.

"Sunnydale, Buffy," whispered Faith as she looked out the window, "that how I knew to come here. That's how I knew about Buffy. Look, thanks for everything… its takes someone patient, or seriously nuts to wait for someone else without knowing if the other person is going to… you know… come out of her room."

Tara was about to say something, but Faith interrupted her. The Slayer continued to say that she'll stay for dinner, to show her thanks. But after that, she's leaving... that she's a dangerous person to be around since Dormer died because of her inaction, because she froze at a crucial point, and then ran away while Dormer sacrificed herself.

"I'll be…"

"You're not leaving," said Sarah, the tone of her voice telling Faith that she was going to take no argument from her, "and Rupert, Joyce, and Jenny would tell you the same thing, Faith. You're not leaving."

"I have to.. you don't get it, Kakistos is coming after me," exclaimed Faith as hse leaned forward, "which means everyone I know… everyone I try to get close to will die. I'll just leave quetly and…"

"What happened is not your fault, Faith," said Tara.

"No?" asked Faith as she bit into another fry, "Diana's dead because of me. I ran away, and…"

"You were afraid," said Tara, "Faith, you're human… you're supposed to be afraid."

"And you said that Professor Dormer sacrificed herself so that you can escape, why did you think she did that?," asked Sarah, "so that you can come here. Why do you think she sent you here?"

"I… Please, Kakistos knows I'm here," said Faith, "he heard it. I was just going to lay low, slay and party a bit with Buffy, and then skedaddle out of here. I don't know when he's coming, or when he'll find me… I… I just have to go and…"

"Buffy and Mr. Giles can help you," said Tara, "we can help you, Faith. You're not alone in this."

"I am alone," said Faith, "that's how I keep… how I should have kept Diana safe. I should be alone, and…"

"We'll handle this together," said Sarah as she pulled in a grocery store parking lot before looking at Faith through the rear-view mirror, "we'll come up with a plan to take care of Kakistos. And once he's been taken care off? Then I would love it if you stayed, Faith."

"I…"

"Just give us a chance?" asked Tara with a questioning smile, "please?"

"Fine," sighed Faith, "fine."

"Come on then," said Sarah as she got out of the car, "ingredients for cookies, dinner, and then trying to find a way to kill a powerful vampire."

"This is going to be interesting," mumbled Faith before getting out of the car, and then heading to the store with Tara next to her.

TBC.


	28. Chapter 28

**The Summers Residence, 2100 hours.**

With the house still full of the smell of pot roast, mashed potatoes, and various other foods including Sarah's butterscotch chocolate chip cookies; Faith was sitting next to Sarah while Tara was sitting on the armrest of the armchair next to Buffy who was leaning forward, a serious look on her face as Faith told them the truth about why she was in Sunnydale, about Kakistos, what happened to Professor Dormer, and the fact that she needed to leave the city since Kakistos would most likely follow her here.

Once she was done telling the Scoobies a rundown of her Slayer story, Faith looked at Giles.. who was taking of his glasses while Jenny and Joyce looked on in concern. However, Faith couldn't tell if they were concerned for themselves, or for her. She then glanced over at Xander and Cordelia, and then at Willow and OZ.. the latter already looking away with a thoughtful expression on his face, and then she glanced at Buffy who was leaning forward and looking down at the floor.

"So," said Faith, "anyone want to say something?"

"We know the truth now," said Giles putting his glasses back on, "I've heard of Kakistos, a very powerful vampire. More than a thousand years old… so old that he resembles the demon that took over his body."

"Meaning?" asked Buffy.

"His face is no longer human, and his feet are more like hooves," clarified Giles before saying that he needed to check his books to confirm. It was then that Faith interrupted him by reminding him that she had gone face to face with Kakistos, and he was right. The hint of fear in Faith's voice making the Watcher certain that she really did face Kakistos before continuing with what he wanted to say, "however, killing him won't be as easy as any normal vampire."

"He's like the Master?" asked Buffy as Giles nodded his head while Faith turned to her sister Slayer.

"Very much so," said Giles while Jenny, Willow, and Cordelia shuddered at the mention of the Master, they remembered what happened when his minions kidnapped them to try and resurrect the dead vampire from his still solid skeleton. Giles told Faith and Buffy to continue patrolling, but to do it in pairs, "I will contact the Watchers Council and notify them of what happened to Professor Dormer. For the foreseeable future, Faith, I will be your Watcher… that is until the Council decides to send someone to you."

"Does that mean I have to leave Sunnydale?" asked Faith as Sarah rubbed her back.

"I don't know," remarked Giles shaking his head, "but given that we are on top of a Hellmouth, the argument could be made that two Slayers here would do a lot of good instead of being separated."

"Right," said Faith.

"So…" asked Willow, "and now? What do we do?"

"Now we be careful," said Buffy as she looked at Faith, "anyone of us goes out, we go out in pairs. At least until Kakistos has been taken care of. Faith, you should have told us about this, and…"

"Buffy," said Tara, "she was scared and… and I guess she was trying to protect us."

"I didn't mean it like that," said Buffy shaking her head while Willow spoke up.

"You were going to leave the city if he found you?" asked Willow as she looked at Faith.

"Yeah," said Faith leaning forward with her hands clasped together, "still feel like the best option though.. leaving. I mean, he'd still be coming after me anyway, and…"

"Hold on a sec," said Cordelia raising her hand, "why's he coming after you?"

"D'uh," replied Xander, "probably because he's a big bad, and he wasn't able to kill Faith, or…"

"I think it's more because I kinda scratched his face up a little bit," replied Faith before she looked at the carpet.

"The point is, Faith, that you can only run for so long," said Jenny as Faith looked up at her, "you were right to run the first time you came up against her. Professor Dormer sacrificed herself for you, all so that you had a chance to run. No one is blaming you for her death, Faith."

"You followed your instincts," said Giles as Buffy looked at him, "Buffy… Faith… if your instinct tells you to run, you run. At least until you have the advantage and can fight on your terms. Faith, you were terrified, and that's alright… you ran to survive, and now we fight back."

"I guess what Giles is trying to say is that you have another Slayer now," said Buffy, "we got the advantage."

"For tonight, Faith," said Joyce leaning forward, "you're not going back to the motel. You're staying here. I think some of Buffy's pyjama's will fit you and…"

"That's alright, Mrs. S," said Faith as she sat up straight, "I usually go commando."

The grin on Faith's face could be contrasted by the cough coming from Giles, the red colour on the faces of Joyce, Sarah, and Jenny; in the meantime, Cordelia rolled her eyes and Xander had a huge grin on his face while nodding his head as he imagined Faith sleeping on her bed in his mind. At least until Cordelia slapped his arm, while at the same time Oz remained still, silently nodding his head; as for the rest, they just stared at Faith stunned.

"What?"asked Faith with a smirk on her face.

"Ok, no commando," said Buffy shaking her head, before she stared at Faith and smirked, "I think I have something that'll fit nicely for you."

It would be later that night, two hours later, that Buffy and Faith went on patrol, after the latter had been shown her room, and then gasped once Buffy gave her the pyjama's. It was something that made Tara, Willow, Xander, and Cordelia chuckle while Faith narrowed her eyes at Buffy… whispering that she was going to get the blonde one day for this embarrassment.

And then the dark haired Slayer turned back and looked at the sushi print pyjama's on her arms, "oh, it's so on."

While Buffy and Faith were patrolling together, Oz, Willow, Cordelia, and Xander were heading back home with Oz dropping Cordelia and Xander off.. while he and Willow went back to his home. All the while Willow as feeling happy that there was someone new in their little group, but she could feel a little jealous when she had thought during the drive of Buffy and Faith working together while freezing her out; and it was something that she told Oz about while the young man was driving.

As Willow talked about her fears, back in the Summers home, Tara and Sarah… as well as Giles and Jenny were staying in the house with Joyce; at least until Buffy returned. In the meantime, Tara set about starting a protection spell for all of them in the kitchen while everyone else remained in the living room. All of them looked on at Giles as he spoke to Quentin Travers at the Watchers Council and informed him about the situation with Faith. And, as Giles predicted, Travers had him become the Watcher for both Slayers until a new one was assigned to Faith.

It was that news that was conveyed to the women in the living room as he sat down on the armchair before starting on what they should do next with Faith.

"Can we enrol her in Sunnydale High?" asked Joyce.

"I can have the Council pull some strings."

"We should ask her," said Sarah, "if she chooses the school? Then that's fine, but if she decides not.. then there's always us. We could teach her; I'm good with math and science, Rupert with history and linguistics, Jenny with IT and Math too, Joyce with Art and Literature."

"Either way would work," said Joyce before Tara walked in, saying that the protection spells were completed. Giles then asked Tara about Faith as she took a seat next to her mother, and told her about their idea. While Tara listened, Buffy and faith were already in the battle for their lives.

During their patrol the both of them were set upon by Kakistos' minions led by his right hand vampire, Mr. Trick. Both Buffy and Faith killed as many as they could before running away into a warehouse, where they were met by Kakistos. And Faith panicked while Buffy started fighting the vampire. As she was running, she heard the sounds of punches on flesh, followed by cries of pain from Buffy as she was slammed into the ground. Faith looked over her shoulders and stopped when she saw Buffy getting up, and then rushing back into the fight while Mr. Trick was holding the other vampires back.. they were simply going to watch Kakistos beat Buffy to a pulp.

Faith saw Buffy continue to fight while she called for her sister Slayer. But Faith remained rooted on the spot as Buffy continued to trade attacks with Kakistos, who was taunting Faith and calling her a coward.

"He's nothing, Faith!" exclaimed Buffy before she was punched on the face a few times and then fell onto the ground. Buffy stared at her sister Slayer as she slowly got up while Kakistos strode towards her menacingly. Kakistos picked Buffy up by the back of her collar before throwing her into some crates. Faith watched in terror as Buffy slowly got up, before kicking Kakistos' back while he was coming for the dark haired Slayer. Kakistos turned, only to find Buffy with a sharp piece of the wooden crate that she was thrown into in her hand.. and she leapt at Kakistos and stabbed him through the chest.

But nothing happened, and Buffy looked up at Kakistos' deformed face with her eyes wide open in surprise before she was punched again. Kakistos then took out the stake in his chest while his minions held the panting, and weakened, Buffy before looking over his shoulder at the scared Faith.

"Stay there, whelp," sneered Kakistos, "I take care of this Slayer, and then you… and you, Faith? You I'll gut like your Watcher."

As Kakistos strode towards Buffy who was being held down by Mr. Trick and the other minions, Faith gritted her teeth before spying a large wooden beam that was lying down on the floor. She ran, and picked it up just as Kakistos was a step away from Buffy as he raised the stake over his head.

"Hey!" growled Faith as she ran with the sharper end of the beam pointed at Kakistos. The vampire, in surprise, turned around just as the beam went through his chest. The last thing he saw before turning to dust was Faith glaring at him. She then pulled out the beam and swung it, knocking most of the vampires away while the others, including Mr. Trick, ran at the sight of the ancient vampire becoming a pile of ash on the ground. The other vampires who were knocked away ran at Faith who turned two to dust, while Buffy slowly got up and took care of three of them just as Faith finished off a third.

Panting, bleeding from the side of her left cheek, and holding the left side of her abdomen, Buffy nodded at Faith before limping towards her. The dark haired Slayer, feeling guilty that she was too weak to interfere earlier, placed Buffy's arm around her shoulder and helped her walk.

"Listen, B," whispered Faith as she helped the injured Buffy, "I…."

"Don't," said Buffy, who stopped, as did Faith. Buffy looked at her, and told her not to say anything, "what matters is that you came back, Faith. That's all that matters."

"Let's go home?"

"Let's go home," said Buffy nodding her head at Faith.

TBC.


	29. Chapter 29

**Infirmary, Sunnydale High School, 0930 hours.**

Faith was seated on a chair while looking at Sarah, who was behind her desk wearing her white burses coat… it was something that Snyder had insisted, while talking to the dark-haired Slayer. The older blonde told Faith that while it would take time for her to trust all of them, the first that needed to be taken care of was her education.

"We were talking about it last night while you and Buffy were out patrolling," said Sarah as she leaned forward. She remembered Buffy coming in through the door with Faith helping her in, badly injured and bleeding. Sarah was the first to spring into action by having Joyce take out the first aid kit that the former insisted everyone keep in their home. While Buffy was taken to her room where Sarah closed her wounds with Joyce holding onto her hand, everyone else turned to Faith and asked her what happened. Sarah remembered Tara later telling her that Faith was nervous about telling the truth, but Giles told her that what happened was no-one's fault. Faith then admitted that it was her fault, that she was about to run away and leave Sunnydale for good since Kakistos found her.

Back in the present day, Sarah told Faith that they were talking about having her either attend school; which brought an eye roll from the Slayer.

"And the other choice?" asked Faith as she frowned at Sarah who leaned forward.

"Home-schooling, and then you do your GED," said Sarah as Faith smirked before telling the nurse that Dormer would home-school her everyday, at least until her death. She then told Sarah about how Dormer would take her to museums in Boston, describing these trips as 'live history lessons'. Sarah nodded her head before explaining who was going to teach what subject, "and Jenny's checking online for a syllabus, and then… once you're ready, you'll do your GED."

"When does B graduate?" asked Faith as she leaned forward.

"Next year," said Sarah with an eyebrow raised.

"Give me a year then, I'll be done with the GED," Faith said as she stretched her arms over her head and yawned before getting up, and then twisting her upper body from side-to-side. She then put her hands on her hips and told Sarah that she'll get her GED the same time as Buffy and the others. Sarah nodded her head as she got up from her chair and walked around the table before asking Faith to take a seat on the bed.

"You were injured too last night," said Sarah as Faith walked over to, and then hopped onto, the bed. Faith faced Sarah who was closing the curtain around the bed for privacy, and told the nurse that she was sorry.

"For?" asked Sarah as she stared at Faith with a look of confusion on her face.

"Nothing," Faith shook her head, telling Sarah that she did know what she was trying to say either. Sarah nodded her head, and then proceeded to examine the young woman. In the meantime, Giles was in the library, while the others were in class as he prepared a series of exercises for Faith. With him being the Watcher for two Slayers, Giles knew that he had his work cut out for him and that the both of their training would begin later that day.

However, before training could start, he was going to helpd Faith, Jenny, Sarah, Joyce, and Xander move the dark-haired Slayers belonging out of her motel room, and then into the guest room at the Summers house. He knew that Faith was relieved at not living by herself, even though she refused to say anything about it; all she simply stated was that she was going to be moving out soon. But he remembered Faith's eyes lighting up when she saw the room; it was slightly smaller than the motel room she was in, but it was in a house full of warmth... and Giles remembered a small smile on Faith's face before it vanished when she said only one word.

"Cool."

 **Crawford Street Mansion, 1800 hours, two weeks later.**

With Angel gone, the mansion that he once used as his home was left unattended. So, Giles called the ensouled vampire in Los Angeles and asked him if the place could be used as a training location for both Buffy and Faith. That was two weeks ago before beginning their first training session following transferring all of Faith's belongings from the motel to the Summers house. Angel gave his blessing, and then that night Giles started training both Buffy and Faith.

In the present day, Tara sat on a stone table in the corner, her feet resting on one of four benches that surrounded the table. She had Giles standing by her side while they watched both Faith and Buffy sparring. On the table, next to Tara's left side, was a black bag containing some alcohol, sutures, and various sizes of gauze and tape to patch up most injuries. And behind her was a small cooler containing some ice-packs. Tara sat while Giles was glowering at the two Slayers, advising each one on what they were doing wrong and what they should be doing to improve their respective techniques.

However, Tara wasn't exactly listening to Giles' advice to the two Slayers. She sat on the top of the table with her legs crossed over one another as she watched Buffy. Tara looked at the smooth movements of the blonde Slayer as she ducked, kicked out, blocked, and then launched a punch at Faith. Tara watched Buffy's hair flying all over the place before she shook her own head and brought herself back to the present day as Giles clapped his hands, asking the two of them to concentrate.

"I am," said Faith as she punched Buffy at the side of her face with her fist, which was in a boxing glove, as were Buffy's hands. Faith smiled as Buffy stepped back while she skirted forwards and continued to launch one punch after another. Some of the punches landed of Buffy, while others were blocked. Buffy then landed a kick to Faith's side, and it knocked the Slayer back slightly. Seeing an opening, Buffy move in and attacked with gusto. She pushed Faith back until the dark-haired slayer caught Buffy's arm, and then flipped her over the should onto the ground. Buffy slipped out of Faith's grip, and then rolled away before getting up and rushing Faith.

This went on for thirty minutes before Giles blew on his whistle, and then told the two girls to stop. Buffy and Faith then put their hands down and relaxed their guard before limping slightly towards each other. The both of them bumped their fists against one another before limping towards Giles and Tara, the former of whom had sat up and hopped off the table.

The panting Slayers took a seat on the chairs while Tara reached inside the cooler and took out two ice packs. She threw one to Giles who handed it to Faith as she sat down.. she then grabbed it and placed in on the side of her head… near a developing bruise. Tara handed another one to Buffy, who placed it on the left side of her head, before wincing in pain. She then leaned towards Tara, lifted the side of her tank top and placed the pack on a bruise.

"Are you bleeding anywhere, Buffy?" asked Tara as she turned back to Buffy who had her eyes closed with a look of relief on her face as she held the pack against the bruise. Tara looked at the bare skin of the blonde Slayer's waist before turning away and asking Buffy the same question again.

"Huh?" asked Buffy as she looked at Tara, whose back was facing her, before remembering the question, "no, I'm ok. No bleeding, just a few scratches… nothing big."

"Faith?" asked Tara as she looked over her shoulder at Faith who was placing her pack on her side as well. Out of the corner of her eye, Tara saw Buffy look back down at her bruise while lifting her tank top, and then focused on Faith.

"My arm," said Faith as she nodded at the bleeding scratch on her arm.

"You first day training has been very educational, Faith," Giles said while Tara was applying some alcohol on Faith's cut, when she noticed Buffy's arm was also bleeding, "Professor Dormer has trained you well, there's some rough edges… just like Buffy has some rough edges, and those can be ironed out. Tomorrow, Buffy will have some reflex training after school, while Faith has some training after her lunch."

"But…" said Faith as she sat up once Tara was done wiping the scratches with the alcohol swabs, "I…"

"You wanted to be home-schooled," Giles remined the young woman while Buffy sniggered, "that's when you've been scheduled some free time.. all so that we could have a one on one session with each other; we need to work on your stances and… well… there are several other refinements that need to be made to your technique."

Buffy looked at the exchange between Giles and Faith, and couldn't help but feel a sense of jealousy as she sat on the seat next to Faith. She had always thought that she would be Giles' only slayer, but having Faith without a Watcher meant that Giles had to divide her time between the both of them. Buffy tried to push thoughts of Giles telling her that she had learned enough, and that he was going to concentrate more on Faith, to the back of her head when she felt a slight sting from her arm. She pursed her lips and looked at Tara who was wiping some blood from scratches developed after Faith had thrown her to the floor.

"Oh," Buffy said as Tara dabbed the swab on the scratches while Buffy said that she wasn't even aware of her scratches.

"All right, it's all done," said Tara as she placed a few bandages on her arm, while Giles placed a few bandages on Faith's arm. Tara got back to her feet after having been on one knee just as Faith said that she was hungry.

"Or, I don't mind going to the Bronze to pick up a guy," said Faith.

"You do realize that you're staying with us," said Buffy while Tara and Giles looked at eaching other. Tara silently outhed that Faith was joking when the dark-haired Slayer continued.

"I'll spend the night at his place," chuckled Faith at the look on Buffy's face, "what?"

"You.. you're going to spend… what?" asked Buffy as her face started to get red while a grin developed on Faith's face.

"You know," said Faith leaning towards Buffy, "I'm gonna ride…"

"Stop," Giles said waving his hands before rubbing his forehead. Tara was covering her mouth with one hand and chuckling while Faith leaned back and laughed. Buffy looked up at Tara, and then at Faith who told her that she was taking things too seriously.

"How about all of us go to the Bronze to recover," said Tara as Faith got up from her chair.

"I'm in," she said before nodding at Buffy, "come on, B. I swear I was just kidding, and just so you know, Joyce would have known that was a joke."

"Fine," huffed Buffy as Tara chuckled, "we'll go to the bronze, but I bet I get more drinks than you."

"Oh," said Faith as she opened her eyes wide at Buffy, "is that a challenge?"

"You scared?" asked Buffy, "and I mean non-alcoholic drinks."

"You're on," said Faith before looking over at Tara, "hey T, you in?"

"Ummm… yeah," said Tara before catching the glance from Buffy before turning back at Faith who said that that the three of them would be able to have some fun. As Buffy and Faith got up from their seats while planning the night at the Bronze, Giles rolled his eyes. Tara chuckled while she picked up the bag of supplies, and the cooler, before following Buffy and Faith up the stairs with Giles by her side.

'This is going to be a fun night,' thought Tara to herself as she prepared herself to act as if she was interested in dating the opposite sex. And it would be later that night, when Sarah would pick up Buffy, Tara, and Faith; with Oz and Cordelia going their separate ways on their own with Willow and Xander respectively, that Buffy grinned at Tara. She and Faith were pleasantly surprised it was the blonde witch who received more drinks than either one of them.

 **TBC.**


	30. Chapter 30

**The Maclay Apartment, a few minutes later.**

After Sarah and Tara dropped off Buffy and Faith at the formers house, the two witches drove off down the road with the knowledge that the two Slayers were set to go off for a few hours of patrolling. They were going to head back home after that, but only if they weren't badly injured. Faith and Buffy promised Sarah that they would come her apartment if anything bad had happened.

Tara looked back out the passenger window at Buffy strolling up the walkway with Faith, and then looked out the windshield. Leaning her back against the seat, Tara had a small smile while her mother was driving the car away from the house asking if she was hungry.

"A little bit," was the answer as Tara smiled at her mother, and then looked back out at the barely lit road in front of her.

"Happy Burgers?" asked Sarah glancing at her daughter before looking back out at the road. Sarah developed a small smile on her face as she asked why Tara was so happy. Her daughter looked back at her and said they had a bet going, that whoever had their phone number requested more times by the 'strapping young men' could get a drink from the other.

"And I won," chuckled Tara before saying that she gave the young men a wrong number, "there was one girl I was interested in though."

Tara continued talking about this mysterious girl while thinking about Buffy, in her black dress with white slacks, as she was swaying her hips while dancing with a few young men on the dance floor with Faith. While Tara didn't mention that the mysterious girl was Buffy to Sarah, she did say that Oz was with her by her side the entire time while Willow was dancing with Cordelia and Xander. Tara then said gently that Oz didn't want to leave her sitting by herself, so they simply talked about his band and the fact that they were heading for Los Angeles in a few days for a three-day gig at three clubs before heading back to Sunnydale.

"Nice," said Sarah nodding her head at hearing that Oz was going over to Los Angeles to play, "is Willow planning on going with Oz?"

"No," replied Tara.

"Then we'll have a girls night this weekend," said Sarah as she drove within sight of the Happy Burger restaurant, "you, me, Joyce, Buffy, Willow, and Jenny."

"And Cordelia," Tara reminded Sarah.

"I haven't forgotten about Cordelia," said Sarah.

"Or it could just be us young women enjoying myself in my room while you, Joyce, and Jenny play bridge in…"

"Hey!" chuckled Sarah as she turned into the drive-through podium to give them their order. Once the order was complete, Sarah glanced over at her daughter while pouting and said, "I'm not that old."

"I'm kidding momma," said Tara while giggling as they stopped at the window and Sarah handed the cash to the attendant, "I'd love it if we could all have a girl's night."

"So," said Sarah after kissing Tara's cheek, "you gonna tell me the name of the mysterious girl you're interested in?"

"Nope," said Tara shaking her head as Sarah turned her head when the drive-through window opened and reached for the two cups of pop, and then the bag of burgers and fries.

"But I got you the chocolate shake," whined Sarah as she drove out of the drive-through lane and back onto the street. She then made her way towards the main street, and headed for home while telling Tara that she could trust her with the secret, "or wait.. is this like one of those romantic movies where the both of you look at each other from across the room and…"

"Those things don't happen, momma," chuckled Tara as she recalled a few minutes ago when Buffy sat down next to her. The Slayer's forehead was beading with sweat as the guy she was dancing with accompanied her back to the table. She introduced him to Tara and the others, as did Faith introduce the guy she met before the both of them told the two young women that they'll meet at the espresso pump for their date. Tara remembered looking at the smile on Buffy's face before looking away at her drink, and then at the number of telephone numbers in the palm of her hand. Back in the car, Tara told Sarah that the mysterious girl she was interested in wasn't into other girls.

"Sorry about that, honey," said Sarah as Tara took a sip of the pop and lay her head back on the seat, "you know what, you're in high school. Enjoy it while you can because when college comes around? Well… that's you'll meet the more mature men and women. I'm sure by then you'll find the love of your life."

'But at least Buffy and I are friends,' thought Tara to herself as smiled at Sarah and nodded her head. She then turned towards the window, and the smile on her face vanished while looking at the houses on the side of the street whizzing by the car, 'yeah, at least we're friends. Mom's right, college is going to be different. Very different.'

 **The Maclay Apartment, two weeks later.**

Sarah was meditating on her bed while Tara was out with Buffy and the other Scoobies at the Bronze. She was going to pick them up in an hour and then she would be taking Buffy and Tara home. But in the meantime, she wanted to get some of her meditation done. Sarah closed her eyes and slowly floated two inches off the bed as she entered a state of calm and attempted to center herself. It would be during these times that Sarah would always sense the magical energy coming off the Hellmouth, as well as the energy that seemed to encircle the city.

It was the same energy she sensed the first day they arrived in Sunnydale, the very same energy that Giles later told her was involved in the adults of the city waving away the obviously supernatural events that would take place around them. She had been trying to trace it back to the source through her meditation sessions, but there was no luck. Sarah felt as if that the magic was coming up from all around the city, 'or someone is trying to make it look that way, making sure that he or she couldn't be found.'

Taking in another deep breath, Sarah put the case of the magical mind altering spell that permeated the city to one side of her thoughts and concentrated on her own meditation. It would be an hour after finishing her meditation, a hour of complete quiet and relaxation, that Sarah walked towards her apartment's front door where she picked up a set of keys hanging from a rack. She opened the front door and then headed out towards the parking lot. While she was walking briskly towards her car, Sarah thought back to earlier that day when Tara walked into the apartment after school while carrying a box of chocolates under her left arm. She told her mother that all the students were 'encouraged' by Principal Snyder to sell the boxes; all to raise funds for the school band.

Sarah told Tara she knew what the young blonde was talking about. Earlier that day, Sarah had seen the boxes when students tried to sell her the chocolates. She smiled as she thought back to buying a few boxes which she would be unable to enjoy due to her allergy to lactose. The older woman sighed, reached into her bag, and then handed a box to her daughter who loved the stuff. Sarah giggled as Tara muttered she had intended to sell a few boxes to her mother.

"Yea, not happening," chuckled Sarah while Tara pouted. The older woman gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek before asking Tara about the rest of her day.

While Tara was telling her about something that Willow and Oz had done that day, Sarah thought about her own love life and wondered about her friends. She sighed when she thought about Jenny and Giles together, and then she thought about Joyce telling her about a nice man she met at the gallery who had asked her out. It was earlier that day after school that Sarah jokingly asked Joyce if the man was the reason she was staying late in the gallery that night; but all the blonde woman could do was giggle before saying that wasn't true.

"He's in Saint Louis," Joyce had said when they met up for lunch at the school infirmary. Sarah was seating back and smirking at Joyce, telling her that she didn't believe a single word. Joyce chuckled while biting into a piece of chocolate, one bar out of four that Buffy had begged her to buy, before telling Sarah that she was telling the truth "so no, I am not meeting him for a late night at the gallery. You can see my aura, can't you? I am telling you the truth."

"Yes," admitted Sarah before she giggled. Sitting at a table at the Espresso Pump, the blonde witch then leaned in and asked Joyce if the man happened to have a brother.

"Hey," said Joyce shrugging her shoulders while taking another bite of the chocolate after finishing up her sandwich, "he's coming back tomorrow, so you never know.. he could have a hot brother and we get to go on double dates."

Sarah and Joyce then laughed together at the thought of the both of them going out with brothers.

Back in the present time, Sarah got into her car and about to move off when she suddenly grabbed the side of her head. She heard the sounds of babies crying in the distance, followed by a distant roar. She grabbed on tight to the steering wheel with one hand, while rubbing her forehead with the other as the pain slowly subsided. Sarah was panting as she looked back up through the windscreen and wiped the sweat of her brows. She looked at the wetness on the side of her fingers and knitted her eyebrows in confusion.

What she had just heard was terrifying to her very soul, it was something that she hadn't experienced before as she leaned back on her seat.

'What was that?' she thought to herself as she sat in her car within the full parking lot, 'the sound of babies crying, and a roar… like.. like a lion. No, not a lion but something similar… it was demonic. I could feel it in my soul… something's wrong. What's going on? Did Tara feel it too?'

Shaking her head Sarah leaned forward, started the car's engine, and then drove all the way to the Bronze where she noticed Buffy and Willow holding on to Tara. Sarah's eyes widened in concern when her headlights hit her daughter, illuminating the fear on the young witch's face.

"Tara!" exclaimed Sarah as she quickly got out of the car, and rushed to her daughter. She cupped Tara's face and asked her if she was alright, that she could see fear in her aura… as well as worry.

"I… I see fear in you too, momma," Tara whispered before hugging the older woman while Willow let go of her arm. She and Buffy stepped back just as Xander, Cordelia, and Oz walked outside after having paid for the drinks. Sarah was confused as she looked at Buffy and then at Willow. She then turned to the others and asked what was happening, even though that there was a part of her that feared their answer.

"Tara said that she heard baby's crying," said Willow as she patted Tara's back while Buffy had her arms crossed over her chest. Sarah could see that the blonde Slayer was concerned about what Tara claimed to have experienced. She then whispered into Tara's ear and asked her if she heard the roar as well.

"You heard it too, Mrs. C?" asked Xander as Sarah nodded her head while Tara pulled away. She told her mother that the roar was evil… that she could actually feel the evil going into her and squeezing her heart.

"Even with the loud music, momma," Tara said before she gulped, "I… the babies… I heard the cries; it broke my heart, and…"

"Any idea if this is demon related?" asked Buffy.

"Well, D'uh," frowned Cordelia as she held onto Xander's arm while Willow held onto Oz. The redhead placed her head on Oz's shoulder while he was telling Tara that everything was going to be alright. That Tara probably heard something 'sunnydally'. While Buffy was saying that she'd still be going on patrol that night with Faith to make sure that there was nothing untoward going on, she noticed that Tara was trembling. She placed a hand on Tara's shoulder and gently squeezed before asking her gently to calm down.

"If it's demony," she said as Tara turned her head towards the Slayer, "I'll find it, and then kill it."

Tara nodded her head before turning to her mother who brushed her hair behind her ears. After kissing Tara's forehead, she asked her daughter and Buffy to get into the car, and that she'll drive her home to Joyce.

"And from there you can go on your patrol," Sarah said while Oz and Cordelia told Buffy that they'll meet her at her house before going on patrol together. As they headed out from the Bronze, the hope was that what Sarah and Tara experienced was nothing big… but there was something in their souls saying they were wrong.

That something big was coming. And coming soon.

TBC.


	31. Chapter 31

**Sunnydale High School, 0830 hours.**

When Sarah walked into school with Tara the next morning, she noticed that something was slightly off. There were students, including Tara, who were rushing into their classes, but there seemed to be fewer teachers as she passed a few classes which had students simply sitting and waiting for their teachers. Frowning as she walked through the hallway by herself after Tara went on to search for Buffy and the others, Sarah turned and walked up the stairs and headed to the library. She wanted to know if there was some kind of staff meeting that she may have missed. However, upon opening the doors, she was surprised to find that the library was empty.

"Rupert?" asked Sarah as she walked in. She walked towards the check-out desk, and then craned her neck to look through the window of the back office and called for Giles once again, "Rupert?"

Confused, she turned around and looked around… she was unable to find the Watcher. Frowning, the woman then rushed out of the library, and headed directly for the IT laboratory, Jenny's domain. Once she reached the lab, she looked at all the students sitting at their seats looking back at her confused. Sarah looked at the empty desk, and then back at the students before asking them if they knew where Jenny was located.

"We've been waiting here for the past ten minutes," said a student, "she wasn't here when we got in."

"Just stay where you are, I'm sure she'll be along soon," said Sarah as she closed the door and stepped back. Sighing, the woman then turned around to her left only to jump and gasp upon discovering that Principal Snyder was looking back at her with a frown. Calming down, Sarah patted her chest while saying, "Principal Snyder, sorry… I was surprised since I didn't see you there."

"Is that a short-joke?" he asked without a smile on his face.

'Oh yeah, no sense of humour,' thought Sarah to herself while assuring the man that she was just surprised. "How can I help you, Principal Snyder?" Sarah looked on as the man popped a piece of chocolate in his mouth before asking her if she was capable of teaching chemistry. "Me? What happened to the…"

"She called in sick," said Snyder. Sarah looked on confused upon realizing that his aura indicated he was telling the truth. However, she could tell that there was something wrong... there was a feeling and a 'glitch, in the man's aura. Snyder then repeated the questions, and Sarah nodded her head before he gave her the classroom number. AS Sarah, her mind confused about what was happening, walked away.. Snyder popped another piece of chocolate in his mouth and stared at Sarah as she walked away. Looking her up and down, Snyder then turned and walked down another hallway.

"Stupid Snyder,' he thought to himself as he made a turn into another hallway and stopped, 'just go back, and asked her out. What's the worst that can happen?;

So, Snyder turned around and walked down the way he came, but Sarah was already gone, 'okay, I'll see her in t eh infirmary. Yeah, the infirmary. But…. Oh, right now I have some Principal things to do.'

AS Sarah walked through another hallway, she did notice some of the teachers walking about as if they were dazed. She approached one of them as the man took a bite of the chocolate and asked him if she could have some as well.

"Get your own," the man whined as he pulled the chocolate away before walking off towards another female teacher. Sarah looked on confused before looking away and shaking her head. She continued towards the classroom, and once she reached it.. the woman opened the door and came face to face with a bored class looking back at her. And it included Tara, Willow, and Oz; three of whom were looking at each other confused, and then back at Sarah.

"Hi," said Sarah as the students looked on, "Ms Ratchet is… well… sick. And I'm your substitute teacher."

"Aren't you're the nurse?" asked a student from the back.

"Yep, and don't worry, Ms Ratchet will be hopefully back tomorrow," said Sarah as she approached the table and rubbed her hands while trying to hide her nervousness, "so now, where did you guys stop in the last class."

It would be later in the day that Sarah and the other Scoobies noticed strange goings on in the school. Case in point, they passed several teachers screaming in joy as they bullied another teacher, while several others were spray painting on the lockers that 'KISS Rocks' while hanging toilet paper on some of the other lockers. The group looked at each other before Sarah noticed that these same people were eating the band chocolates. She then turned to Buffy and asked her to retrieve some of the chocolate before asking Willow to run tests on some pieces to make sure that they weren't drugged.

"Meet me in the infirmary once you're done," said Sarah.

"You think that it's a drug of some kind?" asked Willow.

"I don't know," said Sarah, "I don't know if someone's stolen meds from the infirmary and somehow drugged everyone, I don't know if the chocolates are themselves drugged, or if this weirdness is from some kind of a magic spell."

"So we take out the sciency reasons first," Willow nodded her head.

"Yea," answered Sarah, "and take along some of the water from the drinking supply. Test it too. I want to be sure."

Willow and Buffy nodded their heads before leaving together to find some of the chocolate. Sarah then turned to Tara, Oz, and Xander. She asked them to find Cordelia and stay together while she heads to the nurse's room to find out if any of the medication in the infirmary was missing.

"I'll call Rupert and Jenny from my office," said Sarah.

"Doesn't Faith have a study session with Mr Giles, mom?" asked Tara. Sarah looked up at the wall clock over Tara's head and nodded her read after reading the time. She told Tara that Faith was supposed to meet with Giles after lunch for four hours, "which means she's not here yet. I could call Buffy's place and ask her to check if Mr. Giles is still at home?"

"Alright," said Sarah, "call Rupert, and I'll go check on the meds. Stay together, all of you, while you search for Cordelia. Once you find her, meet me in the infirmary, I may need help going through our stocks."

"We will," said Oz nodding his head. After the group left, Sarah then rushed to the infirmary. Opening the doors, she looked on in surprise at one of the nurses lying on one of the beds as she kissed the basketball coach.

"Hey!" yelled and outraged Sarah as the two of them jumped off the bed and parted, "this is an infirmary, not a place where the both of you can…"

"This way," said the Coach as he grabbed the arm of the other dark haired nurse and rushed back a surprised Sarah, "this place is stale anyway, let's try one of the classrooms."

The nurse giggled as she was pulled through the doors while Sarah stared stunned at what just happened. She narrowed her eyebrows before looking bad at the bed, and shuddered upon thinking what could have happened if she hadn't come back to the infirmary when she did.

"Something's definitely wrong," Sarah told herself as she rushed to the wall and picked up the clipboard that contained the amount of every single medication available in the infirmary. She then began to catalogue the amount they had on hand with the data on the clipboard… she wanted to know if there were any discrepancies.

 **Giles' apartment, two hours later.**

While Willow was running tests, and Sarah and the others were going through the stocks of medications, Faith was knocking on Giles' door. It was two hours ago that Tara had called her back at the Summers house, waking her up from a good dream. The dark-haired Slayer rushed down the stairs and picked up the phone… all the while noticing that there was no sign of Joyce. Believing she had gone to work, Faith picked up the phone and then listened with a groggy look on her face as Tara explained the strange situation at school.

After having a stack of pancakes that Joyce left for her in the micro-wave, Faith then took a hot shower to wake her up from her grogginess. She then put on a pair of jeans and a shirt before slipping on her shoes and rushing out of the door. As she continued down the pavement away from the house, she didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. She wondered if maybe it was just the people in the school, the center of the Hellmouth, that was acting weird while she continued to make her way to Giles' house.

However, she did recall Tara telling her that only the adults seemed a little off. That she could see their aura's were strange. However, Faith couldn't see anything weird as she walked towards her target. It would be thirty minutes later that she arrived at Giles' door, and stopped when she heard the sounds of loud music thudding out from behind the door. She narrowed her eyes in confusion as she placed her hand on the door and felt it vibrating.

'Damn, that's what Giles listens to? Gotta say though, the guy has some taste,' thought Faith to herself as she pounded on the door. However, there was no answer. She thought about kicking the door open, and guessed that Giles would be pretty mad with her if she did that.. however, given the fact that Tara mentioned the adults were acting strange in school, and that Giles couldn't hear her pounding on the door; she decided to take a risk. She placed her hand on the door knob, and then twisted it. She was surprised to find it unlocked as she opened the door, and then strode in to find Giles and Jenny lying down on the floor in each other's arms. "Giles?"

"Faith?" asked the older man as he looked back at her before getting up to his feet. He then lowered the volume on his record player while Jenny got up from the floor and straightened her clothes.

Faith noticed that the older woman was flushed, and her hair was matted on her forehead with was covered in sweat. She then looked at Giles whose hair was messy. The strange thing was that he wore a white T-shirt with a box of cigarettes in a pocket, and jeans. It was a combination Faith had never seen him wear… and she was certain that Buffy would have told her if he did something that made him look so ridiculous.

"Why aren't you guys at school?" asked Faith, "Tara called and said that the both of you were missing and…"

"We called in sick," giggled Jenny as she held onto Giles' arm while he ran his hand through his hair, "you shouldn't be here Faith. We were just… well.. Rupert here was about to use his hands and…"

"Ewwww!" exclaimed Faith waving her hands while Jenny winked at the Slayer, "I don't need to know what happens between the both of you. Look, Tara called and said that something weird is going on in the school and… hey.."

Faith was perplexed as Jenny and Giles started kissing each other. She scratched the back of her head while looking around at the various empty packets of chocolate on the carpet, as well as four record sleeves laying around on the carpet, as well as a few bottles of wine laying on the side. The music was now just a dull thud from the speakers as the dark-haired Slayer turned back to a parting Jenny and Giles.

"I know you were supposed to have a history lesson with me and.. well… I'm a little busy at the moment." Said Giles as Faith narrowed her eyes at him, "now get going, Faith."

"That aint you talking, G-man," said Faith with suspicion in her voice, "what's going on?"

"Don't be a buzzkill, Faith," said Jenny as she fixed her hair, "go home, and enjoy yourself. Live life to the fullest like you did when you were living on the street."

"That's not funny," answered Faith as she realized that there could be something to what Tara said on the phone, that there was something very wrong with the adults. Especially since she didn't recognize the Giles and Jenny in front of her.

"Go home, Faith," said Jenny before she kissed Giles again. Faith watched as Jenny pushed Giles towards the stairs where he then picked up the I.T teacher as she wrapped her legs around his hips. Giles carried Jenny up to the next floor before Faith turned and ran out of the house. She needed to head to the school and talk to Sara, Tara, and the others. Faith hoped that Tara was wrong, that only the school was affected. But Faith couldn't discount what she had just seen… she knew something was off, especially given that they wouldn't be so flippant towards her.

'Mrs. C,' thought Faith to herself, 'hope you got answers.'

TBC.


	32. Chapter 32

There was nothing in the water.

There was nothing strange mixed in with the band candy the adults were eating in the school and in Sunnydale at large.

All medications were accounted for in the infirmary and in the storage room.

Sarah thought about all this before she released a sigh as she sat at the edge of her desk while Willow and Buffy were on one of the beds sitting next to each. Oz was standing next to the redhead while Xander was pacing the floor as he looked at a piece of paper. To round off the Scoobies present in the infirmary, Tara and Cordelia were standing together; the latter whispering that her mother came to see her in her class while wearing one of her tight-fitting dresses.

"Okay," Tara shook her head.

"Your dad?" asked Sarah as she looked at Cordelia.

"Apparently, he locked himself in the bathroom with an old magazine, and…."

"Okay," Xander waved his hands while Sarah shuddered, "no need to continue with this conversation."

"Okay, so If it's nothing scientific," said Oz as he shifted his feet while getting back to what they've already discovered, "then the only thing left is… well…. Whatever's causing this is magical."

"I'll need to do some research on this," said Sarah an hour after they had begun testing the water and checking the medications. "I'll check the library for anything that could cause an adult to regress mentally into a child."

"You mean a weird second childhood, right?" asked Buffy as Sarah nodded her head.

"More like teenagers," said Faith as she pushed the doors open and strode in while everyone looked at her. She told them that she heard what Buffy said from the hallway outside, which was extremely quiet for this time of day. She nodded at Willow, Oz, Buffy, and the others before sighing as she turned to Sarah, "checked in on the G-man. And…. Well, he's with Jenny."

"So he's alright?" asked Sarah.

"He's with… special emphasis on the WITH… Jenny," said Faith before she shuddered as Buffy and Tara chuckled. Sarah shook her head before Faith said that she left the house as soon as Giles carried Jenny to his bedroom. "I don't think we'll be seeing them today, or tomorrow, or until whatever made them relive their youth is gone."

Faith then turned to Buffy and told her that Joyce was already gone out of the house when she woke up. "If things are going haywire, maybe you should call your mom. You gave her some of the chocolate last night, right?"

"Yeah," said Buffy hopping off the bed, "if it's something magical Mrs. Collins, then we need a way to counter this… this… whatever this is."

"And we need to know why someone's trying to do this," Oz added.

"And if this has anything to do with what we heard last night," said Tara as Sarah nodded her head before verbally reminding the Scoobies about the screams of babies they heard last night.

"I'll get some books from the library and ," said Sarah as she got off her table, "the rest of you get to class. I'm guessing that Snyder's also affected by this thing that's going around, but even so he'll still want to see all of you in class."

"We're assuming that everyone remembers this crazy day, right?" asked Cordelia.

"Yea," answered Sarah with a nod of her head. She then turned to Faith as said that she'll have her chemistry and biology lesson instead of her history lesson with Giles. Faith was about to say that the others weren't going to be taught much since their teachers were most likely enjoying their second childhood. Faith heard Xander and Buffy snicker while she stared at Sarah who insisted on not allowing Faith to skip any lessons."

"Fine," huffed the dark-haired Slayer as she placed her hands on her waist; internally however, she was looking forward to spending time with Sarah… although she didn't want to admit it out loud.

"I'll get some magic books for me while you guys have your classes," said Sarah as she looked at everyone before telling Faith that she'll bring some science books from the library as well. She then looked at the others and continued, "after the end of the school day, meet me back here. Hopefully I'll have fond something. If not, then I have some research assistants."

Tara and the others chuckled before heading towards the door. Sarah and Faith were the last to leave with Tara and Cordelia in front of them.

As the Scoobies went their separate ways, Tara, Cordelia, and Buffy headed for their class… to which they knew that their teacher was probably doing something that teenagers would do; although it shuddered to think what that could be. The three of them continued walking while looking at some of the teachers making out in the hallway, while others were spray painting the walls while confused students were wondering what was going on in the class rooms.

"Buffy!" yelled a familiar voice as a smile developed on the Slayer's face. The three of them turned around to see Scott Hope running towards them, and Buffy taking a step forward as she waved at the young man.

"Scott," said Cordelia nodding her head, "let me guess, your homeroom's empty and you're wandering the halls?"

"Well, Mrs. P's missing," said Scott referring to Mrs. Prince, his homeroom teacher, "we're having a party and I figured that Buffy wasn't going to be busy. Or at least I'm hoping."

"I'm heading for class," smiled Buffy as she looked at Scott, "I mean.."

"Trust me, all those classes are empty," said Scott as he reached forward and held Buffy's hand while Tara looked on. She then glanced away from the back of Buffy's head, and then to her hand holding onto Scott's hand. Tara then felt a hold on her arm and she turned to Cordelia who was looking back at her with pursed lips as if she was about to say something. Before the cheerleader could say anything, Scott continued talking, "or maybe you'd like to go on a date tonight?"

"A date?" asked Buffy as she looked into Scott's eyes.

"Yeah," he replied with a chuckle, "a date. I was thinking about the Bronze? Dancing and drinks?"

"Ummm…" said Buffy nodding her head, "sure… sure… I'd like that."

"Alright," said a smiling Scott as he stepped back while rubbing the top of Buffy's hands before letting it go, "see you tonight at nine?"

"Yeah," Buffy said while Tara's face fell as she looked at Cordelia, and then at the floor. Cordelia felt sorry for the blonde witch once she realized that it was possible she had a crush on Buffy. She thought to herself that she was first attracted to Willow, who had a boyfriend; and was now attracted to Buffy who was going out on a date. She saw Tara take a deep breath before looking up with a wide smile on her face as Buffy turned back towards them.

"Neat," Tara said cheerfully as Cordelia looked at her, and then at Buffy, "a hot date for Buffy."

"It's just dancing," chuckled Buffy as the three of them continued to walk towards their class. While Buffy was talking to Tara and Cordelia, the dark-haired cheerleader glanced at the smiling Tara. Their eyes met, and Cordelia could see the sadness in Tara's eyes before she looked away with a smile plastered on her face as Buffy excitedly spoke about the coming date.

As for Tara, she listened with a dull ache in her heart as Buffy was saying that she needed to decide what to wear for the date. The Slayer then suddenly stopped and looked at both Cordelia and Tara before saying that they needed to find a way to stop this spell that was taking over the adults so that she could go on her date.

"Yea, I'm sure we will," said Tara reassuringly while Cordelia looked on.

It would be several research hours later that Sarah and the Scoobies found out what was really going on. They discovered, thanks to Tara and Willow using magic, that the Band Candy was cursed with a spell that reverted the adults to the mental equivalent of teens once eaten. The next step was to discover why the adults were being cursed, and the only way to get the information the needed was to find the location that distributed the candy. Willow hacked the company that made the chocolates, and discovered the location of the distribution center.

Sarah suggested that Buffy and Faith head to the location with Xander, who still had some of his experience as 'military guy' from Halloween, and Oz. In the meantime, Sarah and the others would continue research on why the adults were being affected. By eight in the evening, Buffy, Xander, and Faith were at the distribution center which was crowded with people who demanded more of the candy while Sarah and the others were waiting in the library for any news.

Willow was continuing researching the books, while Sarah was pacing the floor as minutes' passed. She was waiting for the phone to ring, and either Buffy or Faith calling with information. Sarah wished she had Giles' counsel, and hoped that she wasn't sending the four of them to their deaths on a foolish errand. She had called Giles numerous times, but he didn't pick up the phone. What was even worrying was their inability to reach Joyce… with Sarah telling Buffy that she was probably on a date with a man she met since she wasn't picking up the phone at home, or in the gallery.

So that Buffy wouldn't be worried, Tara and Cordelia offered to head out to the gallery while the Slayers, Xander, and Oz were at the distribution center.

"So," Cordelia said as she drove towards the gallery after having checked the Summers house, "you really know how to pick 'em, Tara."

Tara turned to looked at Cordelia, and then she looked back out the passenger seat window while leaning back on her seat.

"First Willow, and now Buffy," Cordelia said while keeping her eyes on the road as Tara sighed.

"That's my luck," whispered Tara. "I couldn't tell the girl I had a crush on about my feelings in my old high school becaseu by the time sI had the courage to tell her, she had a boyfirned. Then, like you said, there's Willow who I guess I still have a little crush on, has a boyfirned. And now Buffy has a date. I think I'm destined to be old alone."

"Oh stop it," said Cordelia as she looked at Tara, and then at the road while Tara tuned to looked at the dark haired young woman, "Buffy's only going on a date. It doesn't mean anything until… well… they're actually together. Maybe the date could go bad, or.."

"Do you think it would go bad?" asked Tara as she looked at Cordelia who sighed before shaking her head and saying 'no'. "Then it'll go good for her and… yeah."

"You'll find another one," said Cordelia in a serious tone of voice as they approached the darkened gallery. "I mean there are a lot of women out there in the world and…"

"But they're not Buffy and…" Tara then stopped herself when she looked out of the window, and saw her own reflection. "Nevermind."

"You just have a little crush on Buffy, right?" asked Cordelia as Tara continued looking at her own reflection as the stopped right outside the gallery. Tara put the parking brake on, and then repeated her question, "Tara," she said gently, "is Buffy just a simple crush?"

"Yea," lied Tara nodding her head vigorously before leaving the car. A disbelieving Cordelia got out of the car and was about to call Tara on her lie when she stared at the witch holding open the door to the gallery entrance. She looked on confused at Tara as she walked towards her while wondering why the doors were open if the gallery was supposedly locked up tight. The two of them crept into the gallery, closing the glass door behind them while they were surrounded by darkness. While their eyes were getting used to the darkness that surrounded them, the two girl held each other's hands and looked around.

"You like her, and not as a crush," whispered Cordelia as they walking into the gallery itself while holding Tara's hand.

"She's just a crush," Tara whispered, "she's straight and… yeah, she's dating Scott. So there. She's just a crush."

"I saw how you looked when she said yes to the date," Cordelia whispered and then walking into another hallway. The headed past paintings and statues while Tara lied and denied having anything more than a crush on Buffy. She was about to raise her voice when the both of them heard sounds from a door in a far wall. The two teenagers crept to the door where a sign read 'Gallery Office', and listened as a voice, Joyce's voice, spoke in a high screech.

"Don't stop, Paul. Don't stop."

Cordelia and Tara then quickly rushed out of there as grunts could be heard through the door, followed by sounds from Joyce that the two teens wanted to forget. Rushing out of the door, and away from the building, the two of them panted in the open air before rushing to Cordelia's car. The dark haired young woman then drove them out of there as fast as possible while they sat side by side in silence.

"Yep, I'm going to need therapy," said Cordelia shaking her head while Tara tried to push the sound they heard out of her mind. By the time they reached the school again, Sarah was on the phone while Willow was hurriedly going through the books on the library table.

"Hey, did you find Mrs. Summers?" asked Willow looking up from the book while Sarah turned around and hugged Tara while the phone was glued to her ear. Sarah told Tara that she was speaking with Buffy on the other line before saying that the two Slayers had found out what was going on. Cordelia then explained that they found Mrs. Summers, she was too busy to meet with them before Tara added that all Buffy needed to know was that she was busy.

"Very, very, very busy," said Tara who opened her eyes wide at Sarah. The older woman understood what her daughter meant before telling Buffy that they found Joyce, and that she was busy. Sarah and Willow then went on to say that Buffy, Faith, Oz, and Xander managed to capture Ethan Rayne while the two Slayers killed one of Kakistos' henchmen, Mr. Trick. Willow added that Ethan told Buffy and the others everything they needed to know, and that Buffy and Faith were about to split up with Oz and Xander to stop vampires from grabbing the babies in the maternity wings of Sunnydale General, and Sunnydale Memorial hospitals.

"Babies?" asked Cordelia, "why? When?"

"Buffy said that it's too late," said Sarah, "according to Ethan, the babies were taken ten minutes ago. They're supposed to be a sacrifice for a demon called Larconis."

"Basically," said Willow as she turned a book around on the table so that Cordelia could read, and see the picture of the giant snake like demon, "it's a baby eater. It's meant to be some sort of a tribute for Larconis."

"Tribute? For what?"

"Mr. Trick refused to tell Buffy and Faith," said Sarah shaking her head. "And Ethan's not talking either. Something about his life being in danger if 'he' found out he talked."

"Who's 'he'?"

"No idea," said Sarah as she put the phone down after Buffy said that she and the others were going to search for the babies in the sewers. Sarah then told Tara and Cordelia that once Buffy had the name of the demon, it wasn't too hard for her and Willow to find it's home after some research on the internet; someplace dark, and wet. "and the sewers fit."

"And ewww," said Cordelia.

It would be another thirty minutes later that Buffy called to say that Larconis was dead, and that they had returned the babies to the hospitals. She then told Sarah that Faith, Oz, and Xander were returning to the library to change into some new clothes before meeting with Sarah. "And I'm going to the gallery to make sure that mom's alright, and.."

"Buffy," said Sarah, "trust me, she's busy."

"Yea," said Buffy, "you said that, and…"

"I mean busy with a guy," said Sarah who chuckled upon hearing the 'eeeep' sound from Buffy over the phone.

"Okay then," she said before looking up at the clock on the wall in the maternity wing as Oz placed the last baby in its crib while one of the nurses was making out with a doctor, "Oz is heading back, and I'm late for a date. See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Sarah said, "enjoy your date."

Sarah then put the phone down and looked back at Willow putting the books away. She then noticed Tara and Cordelia glancing at each other before looking away. The older woman noticed the flare of sadness in Tara's aura, and guessed that the mysterious girl she talked about meeting at the Bronze a few days ago was Buffy.

"How about all of us go to our place for some ice-cream and left-overs?" asked Sarah as she smiled at Tara.

"I'm in," said Willow standing up.

"Me too," said Cordelia shrugging her shoulders, "nothing much going on out there today."

"Me too," whispered Tara as she looked at her mother, "me too."

TBC.


	33. Chapter 33

**Sunnydale High, 1230 hours.**

Everything returned to normal the next day following the vast majority of the adults in Sunnydale having mentally reverted to teenagers. The next day, at school, Tara was the one secretly happy that Buffy's date with Scott at the Bronze didn't work out as planned since the entire place was full of adults acting out their second childhoods. And given that most of the other places for a teenage romantic getaway was taken by the adults that night meant that Buffy's date was cut short. However, she did mention during lunch the next day that they planned on another date in the weekend.

She hoped that any vestiges of the spell was broken by then.

And that drove a knife through Tara's heart as she and the other sat around a table during lunch. A majority of the teachers had returned, even Giles and Jenny who couldn't Buffy and the others in the eye when the Slayer made fun of them.

Back in the Cafeteria, Tara decided to push Buffy's upcoming date with Scott to the back of her mind, in fact she was forcing those thoughts away. She sat next to Willow and Oz, who were themselves seated next to Cordelia and Xander, and next to them was buffy who called Scott over to seat with them

"Is it alright with you guys?" asked Buffy as she sheepishly looked at the others while Scott walked over with a tray. Oz nodded his head while Willow was grinning at Buffy before making quick 'smooching' noises. Tara looked at Willow and then at Buffy who was glaring at the redhead while Scott walked up behind her and Oz.

"Hey," he said as Buffy moved over to one side while Scott pulled an empty chair from another table. Tara glanced at the couple while taking a sip of her drink pack, and then her gaze shifted when she felt that she was being observed. She looked over at Cordelia frowning back at her while Scott asked if anyone knew what happened the previous night. Tara looked back down at the table, away from the frown on Cordelia's face while Xander said that it must have been something in the water.

Tara then nodded her head before saying, "it… it was probably something in the water."

"That's what I thought too," Scott said nodding his head, "but then why didn't it affect the kids? I mean it was kinda weird. And this town is known for weird."

"Tell me about it," said Willow rolling her eyes, "how do you think we have Snyder?"

Everyone chuckled, including Tara, before they went on to telling stories that didn't involve the supernatural. It would be later that Buffy told the group she didn't want to tell Scott that she was a Slayer. She wanted to have a normal relationship with a guy. Back in the present time, Tara listened to everything that Buffy had to say, and she took everything in while wondering what would happen if she came out to Willow and the others.

'You're just upset because Buffy has a date, no…. not a date. You're just upset Buffy has a boyfriend and she seems happy. Heck, her aura shows she's happy so… yeah… she's happy. Willow's happy. And Cordelia? Well… she kinda looks concerned, but she won't show it.'

Tara then looked away from everyone, and gazed at the tray of food on her table. She felt as if she was the extra wheel in a table full of couples. She looked at the juice pack and wondered if it would just be better to try dating any of the guys in the school. Shaking her head, Tara quickly excused herself. She used the excuse that she need to check some books in the library before their next class.

However, Cordelia didn't believe her while the others said that they would see her later. The dark haired young woman looked on as Tara pushed her chair back while picking up her tray. She was about to tell Tara to stay, but Oz was the one who turned to Tara and gently grabbed her left hand while the others were talking to themselves.

"Everything okay?" Oz asked Tara while, unknown to him, Cordelia looked on curiously.

"Yeah, I… I just have a book to check out," said Tara softly with a smile on her face. A smile that Oz could see didn't go up to her eyes. The young man released his hold on Tara's hand and then said, "if you want to talk…"

"Thanks," Tara replied before walking towards the counter to deposit her tray. Cordelia looked on as Tara placed the tray on the counter, and then frowned when Tara turned and looked back at her. Tara gave a small wave before walking out of the cafeteria. Cordelia sighed turning around Tara walked out the doors, and then met Oz looking back at her with an eyebrow raised.

All Cordelia could do was shrug her shoulders, and then go back to eating her food while Xander continued joking with Scott. Oz then looked back at his unfinished food, and then glanced at the empty seat where Tara used to sit. He knew that there was something wrong with Tara, he could sense it. At first, he wasn't sure, but the look on Cordelia's face, and Tara's half smile told him that there was something wrong.

He leaned in to Willow, and whispered in her ear.

"I'll be right back." Willow turned to look at him with a concerned look on her face as she opened her mouth to ask if everything was alright. However, Oz interrupted the redhead, "there's supposed to be a book I'm supposed to collect from the library. And when Tara mentioned she needed to head there, I remembered that I needed to go there too."

"Oh," Willow said. "Umm.. yeah. I'll see you there then?"

"Yeah," Oz said as he got up after kissing Willow on the cheek. He then glanced at Cordelia while he was picking up his tray. Soon, he was out of the cafeteria and into the hallway. Oz strode down the hallway, until he reached another one where he saw Tara.

"Tara?" asked Oz as he walked. The blonde witch turned around and looked in surprise at Oz before asking if everything was alright.

"That's my question," Oz gently said as the both of them stood in front of some lockers, "are you okay? You left in a hurry and… and you looked a bit weird."

"Weird?"

"I mean it seemed as if you had a lot on your mind," Oz said, "is everything alright?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah," Tara nodded her head while lying, "everything's alright. I just thought about something and I wanted to ask Mr. Giles. I mean…"

"Tara?" asked Oz with a hint of concern in his voice, "you did leave all of a sudden."

"It's nothing bad, I swear," Tara said, "I.. I had a thought about something and.. and I wanted to check on it before I told you."

"Me?" asked Oz while wondering what Tara was talking about.

"I mean… Oz, I have an idea for…" Tara then looked around trying to make it look as if she was searching for anyone close by who could be listening. She then turned back to Oz, and said, "it's just something I want to check out before I get your hopes up."

"My hopes up?" asked a confused Oz shaking his head while he tried to rack his brain about what the witch could be talking about. And then, suddenly, he opened his eyes wide and said, "oooooooh."

"Yah," Tara said nodding her head before whispering that she, Willow, Jenny, and Sarah had been concentrating on medicinal herbs to control the transformations in his wolf-self, "I was thinking about rituals. Maybe there could be rituals… like forms of meditation that you could do. It's just a theory, a theory that I want to talk about with Mr. Giles, my mom, and Miss Calendar. And I don't want to get your and Willow's hopes up until I have something concrete."

"I'll help, and…"

"Let me talk to Mr. Giles first," Tara said before turning around and then rushing off, leaving a concerned Oz standing in the hallway. He could tell that some of what Tara told him was true, but there was something else there that he couldn't put his finger on. The young man wanted to follow Tara, but decided against it at the last moment. Turning around, he then walked back to the cafeteria where he sat next to Willow. The redhead asked what happened, and that question got everyone's attention.

"She just wanted to talk to Giles about something," Oz said before glancing at the look of relief on Cordelia's face before she looked back over her shoulder at the doors that led to the hallway. She then turned back to Xander and asked if he was planning on going to the Bronze later that night. Oz, ever the observer, could see that Cordelia had a momentary flash of worry on her face. The young man decided not to say anything, although it did make him wonder why a girl like Cordelia would be worried for Tara when she didn't really show concern for the others.

'Yeah, I know she's sometimes concerned... but she rarely shows it,' thought Oz to himself. Over the next few days, everything that Tara had hoped would wok didn't work. Oz knew that the young woman, as well as Willow, Jenney, Giles, and Sarah were working hard to find something effective. All they knew was that meditation rituals would be far more effective than simple herbal medications. Over the next two weeks, Oz noticed that Tara seemed to do everything possible to stay as far from Buffy and Scott. He knew that the two were an item- they were the talk of the school, and it was odd to see Tara pulling away.

He brought it up with Willow, but she hadn't noticed anything weird with Tara. And neither had Xander. Oz then talked with Cordelia, and he was surprised to discover that she was cagey in her answers before finally telling Oz to sit down with Tara and talk to her. So, three weeks after the band candy incident, while Giles, Buffy, and Faith were out patrolling Oz pulled Tara to the hallway while Willow and the other remaining Scoobies were researching.

Oz told Tara of his observations, and said that the others didn't see things as he did. He told her about the little changes she had been making over the past few weeks, and asked her once again if there was something she wanted to tell him.

Tara then pulled the young man to another room, and closed the door behind her. She then sat down on a seat and took in a deep breath before telling him the truth. However, she left off the fact that she had a crush on Willow before she had a crush on Buffy. The truth was that she didn't realize it was a little obvious that the was trying to spend as little time apart from Buffy as possible so that the Slayer wouldn't be in her head. And Tara was thankful that only Oz, and probably Cordelia, noticed.

Tara admitted to Oz that she was trying to avoid everyone because, "when I really get into a project, especially when it comes to magic and helping friends, I.. well… I go a bit nuts. I'm sorry."

"Tara, what's really going on?"

"It's the truth," Tara said confidently while nodding her head, "I…."

"Hey, guys," said Buffy as she knocked on the door. Tara and Oz turned to the Slayer when she opened the door before asking the both of them to follow her to the library, "you're all in for a huge surprise. Come on." Buffy was about to step back out into the hallway when she noticed the expressions on both the faces of Tara and Oz, "everything alright?"

"I'm sorry," Tara said with a small smile as she looked at a puzzled Buffy, "I've been kinda pulling back from you and the others lately. I was a little too into a project and… yeah."

"It's fine," chuckled Buffy shaking her head as Tara shrugged her shoulders. "Anyway, you gotta see this."

"Let's go," Tara said after Buffy dashed off into the hallway and towards the library. Oz and Tara left soon after, the blonde witch telling Oz that she was wrong to try and pull back from her friends.

"Well," said Oz, who knew that Tara was lying, "if you need help, we're right here for you."

"I'll need Willow's help with the next phase of my plan," Tara said as they entered the library, and was met by Faith introducing a woman to Jenny, who was helping research the location of a mystical weapon. Faith ten excitedly introduced the woman to Oz and Tara as her new watcher.

"New watcher?" asked Tara as she stared at the woman.

"Mrs. Gwendolyn Post, Faith's new watcher. I was sent by the Watchers Council," was the reply as she shook Tara, and then Oz's hand just a Willow stepped up to the young man's side. Mrs Post then moved on to talk to Giles with Faith, and that act gave Tara time to lean in to Oz and Willow.

'She's lying," Tara whispered at the two of them, "she wasn't sent by the Council."

TBC.


	34. Chapter 34

**Sunnydale High Library, a few seconds later.**

"Ummmm…. Buffy?" Willow said after she heard what Tara had to say in regards to the woman claiming to be Faith's new Watcher. The blonde Slayer turned away from Faith and walked to the redhead while Post went over to Giles and took him to one side. Buffy was then led to another corner of the library with Oz and Tara while Xander, Cordelia, and Faith looked on with confusion at Buffy narrowing her eyes at Tara. They saw her turn to Willow and Oz who were whispering inaudibly before Buffy turned back to Tara who nodded her head.

Faith then saw Buffy turn her head and stare at her before looking away and rubbing the back of her head. The dark-haired Slayer heard Post telling Giles that she didn't agree with his training methods while Buffy walked towards her. Faith stared into Buffy's eyes as she placed a hand on her arm.

"Can we talk?" Buffy whispered leaning into Faith's ear, "please?"

Buffy pulled back and looked straight into Faith's eyes to indicate that she wasn't making a joke; that there was something very important she needed to say. Faith then nodded her head before she followed Buffy out the double doors, passing Giles and Post who asked Faith where she was going.

"I'll be right back," Faith said nodding her head at her new Watcher. Faith didn't know how to really feel about having a new watcher in her life. She had already seen one get cut to ribbons in front of her eyes, and then she met Giles who she was getting used to as a Watcher and a teacher… together with a fellow Slayer. Now having a new Watcher made Faith wonder if she should remain loyal to Giles or follow Post, 'what if she wants us to move away from Sunnydale? What if we… I mean I kinda like it here. Beat growing up by myself and… yeah.'

Once Buffy and Faith were far enough away from the library's closed double doors, Buffy turned to face Faith and took a deep breath. She then asked Faith to trust them before continuing, "Tara said that the woman claiming to be your Watcher is lying. She…"

"Tara said?" asked Faith. She knew Tara had the ability to pick out a lie by reading aura's, and Faith's heart started racing when she wondered what else Tara could have said. While a part of her like sharing Giles with Buffy, another part of the dark-haired Slayer wanted to have her own Watcher again. And Faith knew that if Tara said there was something wrong, the young witch meant there was something extremely wrong. So, with her heart racing, Faith asked once again what Tara told Buffy. Once Buffy relayed Tara's message, Faith looked down the hallway at the closed doors leading to the library before turning back to Buffy, "damn it, B. Is she sure? Absolutely sure?"

"When Gwen said that she was your new Watcher, Tara knew she was lying," Buffy said as she watched Faith lock her jaw in anger while looking away, "we need to know why she's here. And we need to know why she's pretending to be your Watcher, Faith."

"Yeah," Faith agreed rubbing the back of her head in disbelief, "let's get back."

"I'm sorry," Buffy said as she held her fellow Slayer's arm and nodded her head.

"It's my luck," Faith shrugged her shoulders, pushing her disappointment back down into her core, and then turning around. The both of them strode down the length of the hallway. As they walked down the hallway, Buffy whispered that they couldn't reveal how they knew Post was lying, they couldn't reveal Tara's secret in case Post wanted to use her for some nefarious scheme.

"Does anyone ever use the word 'nefarious' anymore?" Faith jokingly asked.

"Gweney wanted to use you for something," Buffy whispered at Faith once they were almost at the door, "and I don't want Tara put into unnecessary danger. I don't want her to use the both of you for whatever it is that she has planned." , and the pushed the double doors to find Xander and the others standing around Giles and Post who had been speaking until she saw Faith, and then waved her in.

"Come, Faith," said the 'watcher', "we have…."

"Who are you?" asked Faith as she walked up to Post who was looking back at her in confusion while clasping her hands together, "who are you? Really, I mean."

"Faith?" asked Giles as he fixed his glasses and looked at the younger Slayer.

"Giles, I need you to call the Council and ask them if they really sent Faith a Watcher," Buffy said as she crossed her arms over her chest. From the expression on Buffy's face, Giles knew that there was something serious going on. He nodded his head and rushed off to his office to call the Council, something he had put off since he was glad Faith would be getting her own Watcher. He wanted to discuss, eventually, that Post train Faith in Sunnydale with the both of them teaching her in subjects in which they excelled for the Slayer's studies. As Giles strode into his office and picked up the phone, he looked out the door at the confusion on Post's face. He still wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew Buffy and Faith. He knew that they wouldn't make any wild allegations without any proof… and he guessed that Tara must have said something when he earlier glanced at the blonde witch, Willow, and Oz speaking with Buffy.

Just as the line connected to the Watchers Council in London, Xander and the others told Buffy and Faith that Post had been telling them about the former's first mission with Faith.

"Well, she also came here to check on Giles since the Council said he was becoming too American, and…"

"To get to the point," Post said as she looked at Xander, and then at the suspicious expression on Faith's face, "I was told about a demon known as Lagos who is supposed to be in Sunnydale searching for a very powerful weapon called the Glove of Myhnegon, and…."

"And you are not who you say you are, Mrs. Post," said Giles as he walked out of the back office with his hands in his pockets. He looked at Post, and then nodded his head sideways towards the back office before staring at the Watcher one more time, "I mentioned your name to the Council. And what I heard was… well… a surprise. All I was told was that you were fired for trying to collect items of dark magic. For the moment, I'm still the Council would like to hear from you given that they're sending a team to…"

"You're making mistake," said a smile Post, "I…."

"How about you talk when they come to take you away," said Faith as she rolled her fists, "why did you come here? Why did you pretend to be my Watcher when you were fired, and…"

"The Glove," Giles breathed out while shaking his head in disbelief, "that's why you came here isn't it?"

"I….."

"You were going to use Faith," said Cordelia while Buffy stepped closer to her sister Slayer.

"You wanted her to get the glove from this Lagos? I heard of the glove to be honest with you, but this demon that's searching for the glove? Is that true?"

"Yes," said Post as she wondered how it was that they knew she had been lying. She wanted the glove, a very powerful weapon, in her grasp. And she was willing to further lie to make the Scoobies understand, "he's after the glove, and it's here. Look, yes, I lied to you, Faith, and I am sorry. But I needed your help, as well as the help of the Sunnydale Slayer and her Watcher. We need to get the glove and destroy it."

"She's lying," Tara whispered after she turned her back and leaned into Oz.

"Giles," Oz said discreetly shaking his head.

Understanding what Oz meant, Giles told Post to stay where she was and that both of his Slayers would go out and search for both Lagos and the glove. Hearing Giles refer to them as both of his Slayers, Faith felt pride as she glared at Post before she nudged Buffy. The both of them then walked out of the library to start their search for the glove while Post was kept in the library until a team firm the Council arrived to take her away.

It would be a few days later, after more research, that the demon was found and killed by the two Slayers. It would be later that day that the glove was recovered, and then destroyed in living flame.

It would be several days later that the greatest threat to both Slayers returned to Sunnydale. Following the utter failure of the demon known as the Judge, which was destroyed by a rocket propelled grenade, both Spike and Drusilla escaped Sunnydale and left for another country as far away from Buffy as possible. At first, no one knew he returned, not until he made himself known to Buffy and Faith a night after he returned.

He confronted them in a graveyard late at night; telling them that Drew had left him for another demon, "she said I was obsessed with you, Slayer."

"Me?" asked Buffy as she and Faith prepared themselves for a fight, "aww, that's sweet."

"Not really," Faith said in disgust as she stared at Spike.

"Yeah, that's true," Buffy said dryly before she made the first attack. After several punches and kicks, Spike found himself flung through a headstone. The marble marker crumbled as he crashed through it before getting back up on his feet.

"It's simple, Slayer," said Spike as he glared at Buffy, and then at Faith, and back to Buffy again, "just let me cut your heads off, and then I'll take them as trophies back to Dru. And she'll love me again."

"Wait… wait," said Buffy shaking her head in disbelief, "you want us to just stay still so that you could cut our heads off? All so that you can get back your crazy girlfriend?"

"She's really that nuts?" asked Faith while she was prepared to fight back should Spike attack them.

"Very much so," Buffy quipped as she ducked a punch from Spike while Faith stepped to the side and kicked out at the vampire. The two Slayers fought together against Spike, who was already being beaten back, until he started to retreat. Spike grabbed Faith's arm just before she was about to hit him, and then spun around and slammed the dark hared Slayer into Buffy. The both of them fell to the soft grass groaning while Spike was holding to his side as he stepped back a few feet.

Spike knew that he did kill two Slayers, but those were fight that were one on one. He hadn't gone up against two Slayers at once. There was a part of him that was excited about the possibility of beating both Faith and Buffy, especially as they seemed to be in pain, as they started to get up to their feet. But there was another part of him that was telling his feet to run away so that he could regroup and fight back another day.

However, the thought of Dru leaving him, after accusing him with having feelings for Buffy angered him. And it was that anger which drove him forward as he imagined breaking the necks of both Buffy and Faith before cutting off their heads and going back to Drusilla. With a smile on his face as he eyed Buffy steadying Faith, Spike 'vamped' out and got back into the fight as he took on Faith first. He knew that the younger Slayer would be less experienced than Buffy, in fact she had already shown she was less experienced than Buffy by attacking him with several opening that he could exploit. He focused savage attacks on Faith who was stepping back while occasionally getting a punch in with help from Buffy. It was a few seconds later that Buffy got the upper hand, giving Faith a breather as she got up from the ground, and up to her feet before looking around. Running towards something she had seen in the shadows, Spike yelling at Buffy that Faith was running away.

"And leaving you for me," growled Spike as he connected one punch after another. Buffy then blocked more hits, and started punching back hard while Faith picked up the large branch that feel off a tree near a crypt. She broke off the edge, and then ran around to Spike's rear. While he was concentrating on fight Buffy, who was getting hit hard, Faith thought to herself 'just hold on, B'. She then pulled back her arm just before reaching Spike, and yelled.

"Hey, captain peroxide!" Faith yelled. Spike turned around, only to have a wooden branch stab him in the chest. He looked at Faith with eyes wide open, before he turned to dust. Faith and a panting Buffy, who was bleeding from cuts to her face, looked down at the pile of dust, and then back up at Faith. The dark-haired Slayer stepped on the dust as she walked to Buffy, and steadied her.

"Well, that's done with," whispered Buffy as she limped while Faith supported her.

"Yep," Faith answered, "now let's get you fixed up, huh?"

"Oh yeah," Buffy nodded her head as the both of them limped away.

TBC.


	35. Chapter 35

**Sunnydale High Library, the next day; 1255 hours.**

The lunch period was nearly ending when the Scoobies gathered in the Sunnydale High library, where Giles was in disbelief that Spike was dusted.

Everyone, including Tara, Willow, Cordelia, Oz, and Xander were surprised as well while they sat around the main table in the large room. Giles stared at Buffy and Faith while Tara nodded her head at Willow, both of whom were impressed. However, there was something else Tara noticed I n Willow's expression, 'is that jealousy? Wait, does Willow like Buffy? Or..'

Willow then looked away and turned to Oz who whispered something into her ear. Tara then saw, while Xander was joking about, Willow turn back to Buffy and then at Faith. And Tara felt a burst of jealousy again.

'She thinks that Buffy and Faith are together?' thought Tara to herself with a hint of jealousy as well before she looked away, frowned and then thought, 'no, she's seeing Scott. And she already knows I like girls so… come on Tara, even if she liked girls doesn't mean that you'll be first on her list.' Tara then glanced at Faith as she and Buffy stood side by side together near the steps that led to the second story of the library where the stacks were located.

While Giles took off his glasses, stunned, and asked them if they were absolutely certain they had taken out Spike, Tara kept on glancing between Faith and Buffy before looking away. She then sighed and looked up once again to find Faith glancing back at her with an eyebrow raised. 'She must have noticed. Oh God, don't tell me she noticed me staring at her and Buffy. Tara, you really can mess yourself up, can't you? Maybe it's time I told them? Or... or are they going to think I'm a freak. I mean Buffy seemed to be nervous about it, but Cordelia's alright with me. Maybe I just hold off until I can be sure? Actually, is there a way to be sure other than risking their friendship? I'll talk to Cordelia, get some advice from her... yeah... that's what I'll do. We're supposed to go to the mall this weekend so I'll talk to her then.'

"Faith," said Giles who was still in disbelief, "are you absolutely certain that the both of you killed Spike?"

"Unless vampires can rise again from dust?" asked Faith as she leaned back on the steps while glancing at Tara, and then at Buffy who was looking at Giles while telling him that it was tough, but the both of them killed him. Tara looked away and shook her head while Faith said, "yea, he's dead… again. And gone."

"Gone as in 'poof, he's gone'" Buffy added while waving her hands about as Tara got up from her seat, walked around the table, and then patted Buffy on her back.

"This is fantastic news," an impressed Giles fixing his glasses said, before saying that Faith and Buffy avenged the deaths of the two Slayers Spike killed. He then rushed off to his office saying that he needed to inform the Council.

"I say this is celebration time," Xander exclaimed getting up from his seat and walking towards Buffy while Tara sat next to Faith and smiled at her before patting her on the back. While she did, Faith leaned into Tara and whispered in her ear as Willow rushed up to Buffy and congratulated her.

"Something you wanna tell me, T-bear?"

Tara just shook her head at Faith before looking away. She caught Willow glancing away from Faith and then at Buffy while Cordelia stood at the bannister. It was then that Tara took a deep breath and realised she needed to answer Faith, or else the dark haired Slayer would make up her own ideas. So the blonde witch leaned sideways and said, "I thought there was something in your hair. But… I mean there's not, but… yeah. I think it was a trick of the light." Tara looked over her shoulders at the window where light was streaming through and landing on the stairs she and Faith were sitting on.

"You sure?" asked Faith who narrowed her eyebrows at Tara. Tara then turned back to the Slayer and nodded her head.

"Yeah," Tara whispered before she looked away and smiled at Buffy who was looking back at her. And immediately Tara imagined that she was standing up, with the entire room having gone dark except for a large spotlight on herself and Buffy as they stared at each other. Tara then imagined walking down a step, and then another one, before she strode towards the blonde Slayer. They then took each other into their arms and kissed passionately. The thought ran through Tara's head for only a second before she looked away from Buffy and back at Faith just as the bell rang for their next class of the day.

Tara then smiled and shrugged at Faith before saying that the light really did play a tricked on her. Chuckling, Tara then got up to her feet and walked down the one step to the main floor. Faith too got up and followed Tara down to the main floor since she was due to meet with Sarah in the infirmary for her biology lesson.

"So, there was really something in my hair?" asked Faith as she smirked at Tara who was still at the foot of the stairs.

"Yep," she confidently answered, "but it was a trick of the light."

"Uh huh," Faith whispered as she leaned into Tara's ear while the others were picking up their bookbags from the table. Faith gently grabbed her arm, and then whispered into Tara's ear, "you're being too obvious."

Tara, surprised, turned her head and looked at Faith, "I…"

"I saw you looking at Willow, Buffy, and then me, with a 'come hither look'," she whispered while Tara raised an eyebrow before she released a chuckle once again. Tara tried sounding not nervous at all. All the while Faith continued to whisper, "and I'm flattered you want me and…"

"No, I.. I was just… wait, what are you talking about?" Tara whispered hoping that Faith wouldn't push further. The others were already at the door while both Tara and Faith were still at the stairs; Tara with a quizzical look. It was that look which made Faith wonder if she may have guessed wrong especially since the sunlight streaming through could have made Tara see something in her hair. Faith had her doubts, but she decided to be cautious and replied.

"It was nothing," Faith whispered shaking her head.

"Hey, you guys coming?" Buffy asked as everyone turned back towards them once they reached the doors and realised Faith and Tara weren't behind them. Buffy saw the blonde witch nod her head before she glanced away and turned to Faith. She didn't think anything about that while watching Faith and Tara whisper about something, and then as they reached the table, Faith shook her head vigorously before she stared at Buffy, and then turned to Tara and smirked. "What's so funny?"

"Funny?" asked Faith turning to Buffy, "nothing. Tara just thought that there was something in my hair. Something about the light in my hair."

"That's the funny part?" asked Cordelia as she stared at Faith and Tara suspiciously.

"She has a very weird sense of humour," said Faith nudging Tara, "anyhow, we have class?"

"We have class," Willow said motioning at herself, Buffy, Tara, Xander, and Cordelia before motioning towards Faith herself, "you have tuition, and then you get to enjoy yourself while…"

"And that's not fun?" chuckled Faith.

"Once you're finished, Faith," Giles reminded Faith, "you have training with me."

"Yippee," Faith sarcastically said while her hands slipped into her pockets. However, she was happy with the fact she had a Watcher who was willing to teach her just as Dr. Dormer had done. And she didn't mind the fact that she shared the Watcher with Buffy; she liked the competition. As did Buffy who told Faith not to get too tired. "Sparing later?"

"Oh yeah." Buffy nodded her head before they left the library together. With Giles alone in the library for the next few hours, he was resigned to checking the stacks before setting down for updating his Watcher's Diary.

 **The Bronze, three days later.**

Finally, Buffy had her alone time with Scott. Not exactly alone, but they had a private moment that seemed to focus on the both of them as they danced together on the Bronze dance floor. Following numerous dates where the both of them still hadn't kissed, each waiting for the other to make the first move, Buffy decided to take the initiative.

Tara, who was seated at the table with Faith after the latter danced with four separate young men to songs blasting from the speakers all around them. Faith took a sip of her drink while Tara looked down at hers while stirring the ice in her liquid filled glass very slowly. It was as if her mind was light years away while she occasionally glanced up at Buffy and Scott, the blonde Slayer's arms around the back of his neck as she was about to lean in. Tara looked down and saw that his hands were on her hips before looking away. She then managed to glance at Xander and Cordelia enjoying themselves, followed by Willow and Oz who were slow dancing, before she shook her head.

"So," Tara turned to Faith in a cheerful tone of voice as she tried to push away thoughts that she would never find anyone, "get any new numbers?"

"Nah," Faith replied shaking her head as she looked at Tara and then back out on the dance floor. She then turned towards the bar where there were a few young women either ordering drinks while surrounded by males, while the other women were sitting alone. Faith wondered if she was right about Tara preferring girls over men. She had seen Tara dance with guys and it seemed as if the blonde witch was forcing herself to be cheerful when the young men put their hands on her waist. Faith was protective of her and would have moved at an instant if anyone had attempted to attack Tara, but the witch was forcing herself to smile and laugh while dancing. It was the same with the other four guys Tara danced with before she needed a rest and headed back to the table where Buffy and the others were sitting around. Once Tara returned, Faith remained on the dance floor while Buffy, Scott, and the others moved to the dance floor once again.

'Or maybe she just didn't like those guys she was dancing with?' thought Faith to herself.

Faith then turned back to Tara and nodded her head towards the dance floor while saying, "come on, we've taken our break. It's time to get back in."

"My feet hurt," Tara said recalling the thirty minutes she and Faith had been dancing with various young men, "it'll recover soon. You go ahead, and I'll join you after the others get back."

"Come on," Faith tried to convince Tara, whose heart fell, at glancing Buffy and Scott kissing. Tara tried not to let the sight get to her, but she knew that the more she declined, the more suspicious that Faith would get. Before Tara could give Faith an answer, the Slayer leaned in and said, "I want to dance with you. Come on."

"We always dance together," Tara said, "that's how we get phone numbers." Tara could see that Faith was about to say something to convince her to go with her to the dance floor. But Tara spoke first saying that she really was tired, "seriously, Faith. You go ahead. I'll stay here and watch out for our table."

Faith then sighed before she nodded her head. As she got up from her seat, Faith caught sight of Buffy continuing to kiss Scott before looking away. Tara then sat straight up and leaned back in her chair, smiled a genuine of a smile as possible, and told Faith that she was going to be alright, "go, Faith. How about you dance extra for me."

"Fine," Faith playfully huffed, "but it would be better if I had my wing-woman with me."

"Oh you'll do better without me," chuckled Tara before Faith patted her shoulder and then danced her way into the crowd. Tara then just leaned forward and took a sip of her drink. She glanced up at Buffy who had pulled back from Scott and then looked away. Tara then sighed before she looked at her surroundings. Tara stared at the bar and wondered how hard it would be to simply change the birthdate on her ID so that she could get something with alcohol. And almost immediately Tara kicked herself and looked away from the bar. She then looked at Willow and Oz, Xander and Cordelia, and then she stared at Buffy and Scott who were walking hand in hand to the rear of the club.

She then heard a loud cheer from Faith who was dancing in-between two young men. Shaking her head off Buffy, Tara took down the rest of her drink and then got up. She headed off to the dance floor and joined in with Faith. The both of them were soon joined by Oz, with Oz taking Tara away from three other guys dancing with her while Willow and Cordelia were dancing with a cheerful Xander. Soon, Faith joined Oz and Tara.. the three of them laughing as the young men who had wanted to dance with Faith and Tara looked on with jealousy at Oz.

In the meantime, Buffy swung the rear door back open and strode back in while her arms were crossed over her chest, and tears welled up in her eyes. Her face was twisted in disbelief as she strode past the dance floor while rubbing away the wetness gathered at the corners of her eyes with the back of her thumb. She thought that Tara would be sitting at the table waiting for the others to get back, but the blonde wasn't there.

Buffy turned and saw Tara, whose back was facing her, dancing with Oz and Faith. The slayer then turned to looked at Scott standing on the other side of the dance floor with a forlorn look on his face before he put his hands into his pockets and walked away. Buffy sat down on her chair and looked out at her friends on the dance floor and wondered what she would say to them. Buffy had finally kissed Scott after several days of dates. So, when Scott said that he wanted to talk to her in private, Buffy believed that he wanted to continue their kiss in a more private setting.

However, he took Buffy to the alley behind the Bronze and told her that while he liked her, he didn't feel anything from the kiss. And Buffy's heart felt as if it was trampled on. Scott told Buffy as she stepped back in stunned silence while wrapping her hands around her body, that he wasn't sure about her. He said that he was unsure of himself and thought that maybe finally kissing Buffy would tell him something.

Buffy remembered being confused, as she stared at her drink while Willow, who noticed the Slayer, rushed out to pull her back into the dance floor. "Buff?"

"Hey," Buffy said as she tried to hide her heartbreak, "I'm heading out. I.. I have to get some patrolling done, and…"

"Where's Scott?" asked Willow she looked around and then turned back to Buffy.

"I gotta go start patrol a bit early. Tell Faith she's got the night off," Buffy said as she stood back up and grabbed her jacket. She put in on while Willow asked if everything was alright.

"Buff?" asked a worried Willow, "Buffy?"

"He..." said, Buffy, as she stared at Willow, "Scott said that… anyway, Will, he and I aren't going to work out."

"What?" asked a surprised Willow as Cordelia and Xander joined then at the table, both panting as Cordelia took a seat. Willow then turned to the both of them and said that Scott said something to Buffy.

"What?" Xander asked leaning forward.

"I don't know," Willow replied before turned to Buffy, "Buff? I... I think you should talk to us and…."

"I… I.. gotta go patrol," Buffy whispered, "tell Faith she's got the night off. I'll go home and get my stakes and stuff… I… I'll see you tomorrow."

"Buffy," Xander said.

"See you tomorrow," Buffy said before she rushed off, just as tears threatened to overflow from her eyes. The three of them saw Buffy leave in a hurry before turning to look at each other. Willow and Xander, after a few seconds, decided to follow Buffy out but Cordelia stopped them.

"She wants to be alone, and…."

"We'll see you tomorrow, Cordy," Xander exclaimed before he and Willow rushed off behind Buffy. Cordelia just sighed as she leaned back in her seat and shook her head. She then turned and watched Tara dancing with Oz and Faith, and then she turned back towards Xander's back as he disappeared out the entrance with Willow.

It would be a few minutes later that Willow and Xander walked back into the club. They told Cordelia what happened with Scott after speaking to Buffy, who still insisted on leaving for a patrol. Cordelia then glanced over at Tara and wondered what she would do upon hearing the news, before turning back to Willow and Xander, "we should tell the others, but at the same time we leave Buffy alone."

"Oh yeah," Willow sarcastically said as Cordelia stared at her, "you'd want her to be alone and…"

"She wants to be alone," Cordelia said as Willow closed her eyes and sighed.

"Sorry I snapped," Willow said, "just worried about Buffy,"

"She's hurt… so let her turn that hurt to anger while she beats on some vampires," Cordelia said as Willow and Xander sat down.

"Yeah," whispered Willow.

It would be later that night that Buffy, joined by Joyce who insisted on accompanying her Slayer daughter so that they could talk about what happened at the Bronze, stumbled on the bodies of two children

 **Sunnydale High Infirmary, the next day, 0915 hours.**

Sarah was reading the newspaper as she sat behind her desk in the empty infirmary. It had been almost ten minutes since her last patient, a young man named Jonathan who had a coughing fit. She gave him some lozenges before sending him on his way. Once he was out the door, Sarah sat down and read the paper she collected from the teachers' lounge earlier that day.

It was a front-page report about two children, a boy and a girl found dead at a playground. She saw the pictures of the children and then the read the story below. She was reading it as a growing sense of dread surrounded her. Her heart racing, Sarah slowly put the paper down and looked up straight ahead. However, there was nothing in front of her. She then stood up as a chill went up her spine and she spun around whispering, "hello? Is anyone there?"

And then, just as the feeling came, it disappeared. Sarah looked around confused as the chill she felt was gone too. Sarah didn't who or what it was that had been in the infirmary, but all she did know was that it was evil. Sarah made a mental note to talk to Giles and Jenny at lunch, and then they were going to talk to Joyce at dinner later that night.

Sarah walked was about to sit on her chair once again when the doors to the infirmary parted and Giles strode into the infirmary with a folded piece of paper in one hand. Sarah couldn't believe her luck before saying out loud that she was thinking about visiting Giles during lunch.

"Oh?" Giles replied while Sarah motioned at him to take a seat.

"Yea," she replied nodding her head before explaining the feeling she had just a little while ago. Giles listened closely to what Sarah was saying, and the latter could see that Giles looked concerned before he looked at the folded paper in his hand. It was something that Sarah caught before asking about the paper.

"Oh, of course," said Giles shaking his head before handing it to her over the table between them, "Buffy killed a vampire near where the two children's bodies were found."

"OH," Sarah said looking up from the unfolded piece of paper which held a symbol she didn't recognise, "you think this symbol has something to do with the feeling I had?"

"I don't know," Giles said, "all I know is that the symbol, according to Buffy, was carved into their hands. And, well, Joyce was there too."

"Oh no," Sarah said shaking her head, "she should have called…. Anyway, is she okay?"

"Buffy said she was shaken," Giles responded, "we should go over and talk to her about what she saw. That Buffy will find whoever did this and they would be punished."

"Yeah," whispered Sarah as she looked at the symbol and then at the picture in the newspaper of the children's bodies. Sighing she looked back up at Giles and said that she'll help him with research before leaning back and sighing once again, "they're just kids."

"Yes," Giles whispered leaning forward with his arms on the table as he eyed the picture on the paper as well.

"Any idea on their names?" asked Sarah before adding that she didn't read about any mentions of their names in the news story.

"None," Giles replied shaking his head before leaning back. He then took off his glasses and rubbed his forehead before saying that he was going to head back to the library. Giles said that he has the books he needed there since he stopped letting Willow borrow them so that she couldn't do any research without supervision. "I'll find something."

"I'll come see you at lunch," Sarah said as Giles got up off his chair. The older man then nodded his head before heading out of the infirmary. Once he left, Sarah looked down at the picture of the symbol and wondered if there was something dark coming on the horizon. She leaned back in her chair and placed her hand over her mouth deep in thought for a few seconds before she leaned forward and picked up her phone.

Sarah then dialled a number before leaning back once again while a dial tone could be heard. Once the phone on the other line was picked up, Sarah spoke, "I need to talk to Miss Harkness."

TBC.


	36. Chapter 36

**Infirmary, Sunnydale High School, 1130 hours.**

Sarah had to see three more students, two of whom got into a fight with each other and were bloodied and bruised, while the other had the stomach flu. After they left the infirmary, the two bandaged fighters returning to class while the one with the stomach flu was given a pass and told to report to the administration office so that he could be sent home.

Once they were gone, Sarah sighed and went back to her seat. She sat down, looked up at the double doors that led to the hallway outside upon hearing the sound of students. She looked up and saw several students walk by through the two reinforced glass windows set in the doors.

When they didn't walk in, 'they're heading for their next class', Sarah thought to herself as she looked down the left side of her desk at the column of three drawers. She reached for the top one, which was her own drawer while the others were for the doctor who came in three times a week, and the lowest one was for a part-time nurse who came in after lunch.

Sarah unlocked the top drawer, pulled it open, and then and then… when no one walked into the infirmary, she took out the piece of paper that Giles handed her earlier. 'This was on the palms of both children' Sarah thought to herself as she leaned back in her seat and stared at the drawn symbol. She frowned while trying to rack her brain for any information, she even sifted through her memories of training with her own mother for the symbol.

But there was nothing. She hadn't encountered it before.

'I already described the symbol in detail to Miss Harkness,' Sarah thought as she put the paper back in the drawer, and then locked it before looking up at the clock, 'and she said she would get back to me as soon as they find something.' The woman then got up from her seat and walked around the desk. She headed for the left wall where there was a clipboard hanging, along with another shelf below it which contained copies of inventory forms. She took a form, attached it to a clipboard, and then started taking inventory of the medications in the infirmary to pass the time until she could head up to the library and talk to Giles about the symbol. Sarah wondered if he found anything about it in his books as she crouched down and opened a door to a cabinet.

Sarah inventoried the medications in the cabinet before getting back up and moving on to another cabinet. Over the next hour, all Sarah could do was inventory medications and supplies in the infirmary. When she was finished, she placed the clipboard back on the wall and the inventory for in a holder that she would later take to the administration office.

Looking back at the clock, Sarah realised she had ten minutes left before lunch. She sighed and then walked back to her deck and, with one hand in the pocket of her white coat, she grabbed the newspaper and stared at the pictures of the two dead children.

"Such a tragedy," she whispered before her mind travelled back to the symbol and thought to herself, 'that symbol looked like something from an occult book. And that's exactly it.. it looks like; something from the occult. It could also be someone who killed these two kids and dumped their bodies in the playground. Anyone who knows about Sunnydale would know there's something strange about this city. He or She could have murdered them, and then drawn that symbol to put focus away from himself.'

It was then that Sarah looked up from the newspaper, placed it on the table, and spun around on her heels. She felt the same disturbing and evil presence from earlier that day.

"Who's there?" Sarah asked at the open air in the infirmary. But there was no response. Sarah wondered if being in an empty room, in a school located directed over the Hellmouth, was driving her imagination wild.

But the goosebumps on her arms were telling her something different. This wasn't her imagination gone wild. There really was something she could sense; a malevolent presence in the infirmary. Sarah was taking deep breaths, trying to keep herself calm and collected as she asked once again, "who's there? Can I help you?"

'Yes, Sarah,' thought Sarah sarcastically to herself, 'let's ask the possibly evil presence in the infirmary if you could help it.'

She took a step back, she was now leaning on the desk and her hand reached out for the newspaper. As she did, Sarah felt the presence grow in malevolence. Sarah grabbed the newspaper and then rushed out. Her body felt ice-cold as she ran through a massive cold spot and kept on running towards the door. She felt as if something evil was staring her down; a feeling that lifted when she rushed out into the hallway and closed the infirmary doors behind her. She then closed her eyes and leaned with her back to the doors.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself as her heart raced, Sarah suddenly felt as if she was being watched again from behind. She slowly turned around, her heart beating faster still, and her eyes widened when she looked through the reinforced glass into the infirmary.

There were two children, a boy and girl, looking back at her.

They looked just like the pictures of the dead children in the paper. The girl had wavy blond hair falling down both sides of her face. She had on a brown and white striped shirt underneath some overalls. And the boy had blond hair, and he was wearing a brownish shirt with a single white horizontal stripe around the waist. They were staring back at her with sad faces, however, Sarah could sense evil pouring out of them.

Then, just as they appeared, they vanished. Not willing to get back into the infirmary now, Sarah decided to clear her head and flipped the tag on the door that indicated she was on a break. She needed to go outside to get some air, and then head back to the library to talk to Giles about what she saw in the infirmary. With the newspaper clutched in her fist, her knuckles became white, Sarah strode down the hallway and took a nearby exit out to the grounds of the school.

It was a bright and sunny day as Sarah walked past some students in her white coat and took a seat on a stone bench. She let the warmth from the sun permeate her as she closed her eyes and lowered her head worried about what was going on in the school. She wondered if the children were approaching her because she used to practice magic before swearing not to after changing the minds of everyone who knew her and Tara's true identities.

'No, that can't be it,' Sarah though as she looked back up at the trees that surrounded her… with the parking lot and front lawn meters away. She took a deep breath while thinking, 'I sensed evil coming off them. No, there's got to be more that what I think may be going on.' Sarah then bit her lower lip, a bad habit she developed when she thought too deeply about something potentially horrible, and wondered if the children she saw were ghosts of those who were murdered, 'maybe they want vengeance? Maybe that's the evil I sensed? An intention to drop vengeance on the ones who killed them?'

Sarah stopped biting her bottom lip and frowned, 'maybe that's one thing. What else could there be? But still… the evil I felt from them was undeniable.' Sarah then heard the bell go off, and she stood up off the bench before making her way back into the school just as students rushed out of their classes. The hallway was a stream of students- some heading for their lockers, while others were heading out for lunch. The rest were heading for the Cafeteria, while Sarah strode in the opposite direction towards the library.

 **Hallway, Sunnydale High, 1235 hours.**

While Sarah was heading for the library, Tara and Buffy walked out of their class and was heading for the cafeteria to meet Willow, Oz, and Xander. Their plan was to have lunch and then go to the library where they could talk to Giles about the murder It weighed heavy on Tara's mind that someone used what she thought to be an occult symbol to murder children. There were hushed murmurs in the class of witches being responsible while there were other hushed tones that brought up a few names Tara recognised – namely Amy and Adam, a teen who dressed in goth wear who attended one of her classes.

With her book bag slung over her shoulders, Tara walked next to Buffy through the throngs of students heading for the cafeteria.

"Is your mom going to be okay?" asked Tara.

"I don't know," Buffy replied looking over at Tara, "she was pretty shaken up about the whole thing." Buffy then looked away while the both of them still walked side by side. The blonde Slayer then turned her head back to Tara and asked softly, "you sure you didn't recognise the symbol?"

"No," Tara replied shaking her head. They continued to walk through the hallway when a young blonde woman brushed by Tara. The blonde witch turned her head towards the dark-haired woman who narrowed her eyes at her. Their eyes locked as Tara's heart raced when she recognised the woman as the very same demon she encountered in her first few days at Sunnydale High. 'Or was it the first day here?' Tara thought to herself. She could see the woman's demonic aura, and the green coloured pendant she was wearing before she looked away and rushed to Harmony.

Tara looked away and then turned to Buffy who was looking at her with a questioning look on her face. It was then that Tara realised Buffy had stopped walking and was standing still.

"You okay?" asked Buffy as she leaned sideways to look at the young woman behind Tara. She was at the lockers now laughing with Harmony and her little clique. Buffy then turned to Tara who was frowning. "Tara? You okay?"

"Yeah," Tara said shaking her head as she commenced walking once again. Buffy looked back at the young woman, and then she turned back to Tara and rushed towards her. Walking side by side once again, Buffy glanced at the worried look on Tara's face. Taking her clue from what Tara had told her about her sexuality, Buffy thought that Tara was interested in the girl. Buffy thought that Tara was worried the young woman with the pendent had a boyfriend.

"You know," asked Buffy as she looked over at Tara, "I could ask her if she has someone who…. You know. I mean if she doesn't have a boyfriend then you could…"

"Huh?" Tara asked with a quizzical look on her face that interrupted Buffy, who guessed she probably had it all wrong.

"You looked worried when you looked at that girl and… well… I thought that you wanted to ask her out."

"Oh… no, no," Tara shook her head vigorously before looking over her shoulder at the dark-haired woman who closed the locker door and was about to walk away with Harmony and her friends. "I'm not interested in her."

"Oh," Buffy said while walking alongside Tara as she looked back at the mysterious girl.

'But I am kinda interested in you,' Tara thought as she gazed at Buffy's profile before looking away just as Buffy turned her head to look at Tara. Tara looked at the mysterious girl, and then back at the Slayer, "I.. I think that girl's a demon, Buffy."

Buffy arrowed her eyes at Tara, stopped, and then looked back at the dark-haired woman. Tara stopped as well, and looked at Buffy, and then followed her line of sight at the woman who brushed past her earlier. Buffy then turned her head back to Tara and asked her if she was absolutely sure.

that the young woman was a demon. Tara nodded her head before Buffy looked back at the young woman with the green coloured pendent.

"Maybe she's the one who killed the kids," Buffy whispered as she started to walk towards the mysterious woman. Tara shook her head before she strode past several other students before placing a hand on Buffy's shoulder. Tara whispered into her ear after Buffy stopped. Buffy, after hearing what Tara had to say, turned back to the blonde witch with surprise on her face, "you knew she was a demon?"

"I saw her when I first came to Sunnydale High," Tara said nodding her head, "I.. I mean the day you introduced Ford?" Buffy nodded her head and asked Tara to continue, "I didn't know you were the Slayer then, and… well… she slipped out of my mind by the time I found out you were the Slayer. That's why I didn't mention her." Tara then looked at the mysterious girl, and back at Buffy, "What I'm trying to say is that there were no reports of murdered kids when I saw her back then. And now?" Tara gave a little shrug before shaking her head, "I don't think she was the one who did it."

"I've seen her around too," Buffy admitted looking at the girl walking away with Harmony and the other. Buffy then turned back to Tara and asked her to head back to the library, "Faith should be there. Giles is tutoring her today before she meets with Jenny. I'll go after the girl. If she really didn't do it, then maybe she knows who did."

"I'll go with you," Tara said without thinking.

"It's too dangerous," Buffy countered. But Tara was having none of it as she shook her head before saying that she was going with Buffy.

"I can tell you if she's telling the truth, Buffy," Tara pointed out. Buffy saw the determination on Tara's face and sighed. Buffy looked back at the young woman walking through another hallway and Buffy turned back to Tara and nodded her.

"You're staying behind me, Tara," Buffy said, with Tara nodding her head. The both of them then took off after the mysterious girl with the green pendent, hoping that she may have some answers.

TBC.


	37. Chapter 37

**Sunnydale High Library.**

Giles was searching through the books in his private collection, in the library's book cage next to the weapons locker, for a particular cover. He was certain he had seen the same symbol that was drawn on the piece of paper Buffy handed to him earlier that day, the very same piece of paper he gave Sarah. He checked high and low before he exited the book cage when he kept his most dangerous books and walked with his feet thumping on the floor towards his office. He wondered if the book was absent-mindedly kept in one of the shelves he had in his office behind the book counter.

However, as he entered the office, he heard the doors to the library swung open and stopped before turning around once he heard Sarah call for him, "Rupert? Rupert?" Giles strode back out into the main section of the library near the book counter and saw Sarah at the book cage, her back to him, before turning around and taking a deep breath. Giles noticed that Sarah seemed to be relieved as she put her hand on her chest, "sorry to have surprised you, Sarah," he said as she walked over to the table and grabbed the back of one of the chairs.

Giles could see that there was something bothering Sarah who wrapped her finger around the top edge of the chair back until her knuckles were white. He titled his head and took a few steps towards Sarah who shook her head before whispering she had seen something, "and I felt something, Rupert. Something evil… like someone or something walked over my grave."

"What did you see?" Giles asked as he, his face full of concern, helped Sarah take a seat. He then pulled up another chair and turned it around so that he could sit down facing Sarah, "Sarah? What happened?"

"I felt this evil," Sarah whispered as she recalled the darkness and cold she felt only a few minutes ago. She remembered getting out of the infirmary, and then once she was out in the hallway, Sarah remembered turning around to look through the glass viewports on the infirmary door and seeing the two children. And that's what she explained to the surprised Giles who was holding her trembling hands. Sarah took a few deeper breaths while Giles looked on as she gathered her wits before speaking once again, "I felt such cold, such darkness, Rupert. It… it was overwhelming and.. and I just had to get out of there."

"Are you certain that the ones you saw were the children in the newspaper?" asked Giles who was trying to rack his brain as to what was going on. How could Sarah see the two children, 'more like why is she seeing them? And why are they giving off an evil energy? Or… or…'. Giles then leaned forward and asked if it was possible that the evil that Sarah felt in the infirmary wasn't coming from the children, "maybe there was an evil… perhaps the very same evil that killed them… coming after them following their death. Perhaps it's a demon that's trying to make sure their souls do not reach out for help. Perhaps the two children somehow knew you could help them and they came to you. And perhaps the things that killed them followed them to you and that is what you felt?"

"I felt the evil from them, Rupert," Sarah said shaking her head, clarifying once again that the evil she sensed was in fact from the two children, "it was them." She stared at Giles, mentally hoping that he would believe her. And he nodded his head. Sarah then breathed a sigh of relief that he believed her.

Sara then explained that she called the Devon Coven, and they were doing their own research into her description of the symbol carved into the children's hands. "Maybe I'll stay here for a little while," Sarah looked up at Giles and shrugged her shoulders before shuddering a little, "the infirmary's feeling a little creepy."

"Take your time," Giles chuckled as he got up from his chair, "actually, could you help me search for a book. Its cover has the same symbol etched on the hands of those children. I can't seem to find it."

"Are you sure?" asked a concerned Sarah who stood up. She knew that any books on magic could have dangerous consequences in the wrong hands. And she also knew that Giles was very careful about locking away the books that contain spells and functioned as 'how-to' manuals, 'which means someone stole it?' Sarah followed Giles to the book cage and asked, "has someone broken into your secret stash?"

"Excuse me?" Giles as turned to Sarah while he pulled open the doors to the book case where the magic books were locked away.

"Your books on magic and spells, Rupert," she clarified pointing at the carefully placed books with all its spines pointing outwards.

"Oh, yes, of course," Giles said before explaining he knew what Sarah meant by 'secret stash'. Sarah chuckled before whispering 'sure you did' and then looked away into the case asking if the lock was damaged. "No," Giles replied, "I opened it this morning."

"Then how…. Have you checked everywhere?" asked Sarah.

"In my office, behind the book counter... and… well, I was planning to go through my office once again," Giles said as he scratched the back of his head while wondering where else he could have misplaced the book. However, there was another reason the book could have gone missing, a reason that he did not want to think about given that he and the other adults gave their trust to her. Giles then sighed before whispering he asked Willow to do some research for him, "it is possible that she…"

"She knows we placed our trust in her to follow-through with her lessons, and not to use any spells by herself," Sarah said, "Rupert, you've known her far longer than me or Tara, would she want to risk being found out she broke our trust in her?"

"I suppose not," Giles shook his head.

"Let's put the book and Willow aside for now," Sarah said as Giles closed the doors to the book case and then locked it, "I've been thinking the way here and in the infirmary. Ummm… what do we know about these children?"

"That they're dead and were killed by a demon or a human using them as ritual sacrifices," Giles pointed out as he walked out of the book cage with Sarah following closely behind.

"That's all we know," Sarah clarified as they walked to Giles' office, "yes, they're dead. But who are these children? Why haven't their parents made a statement? I mean even parents who want privacy give out a statement saying that they want privacy. Even the police haven't made a statement saying that the parents have been contacted."

"I…"

"Who are the parents of these children?" Sarah said shaking her head. "Rupert, the children I saw? The ones from the infirmary? They're evil. What if.. what if this is a manifestation of something evil. We're right on top of a Hellmouth and... and couldn't there be something connected with that? What if… and I admit these are only possibilities…" Sarah clarified as she leaned against the wall, "what if these children are the demons? What if… and this is a big 'what-if'… these children planted themselves as the murder victims to bring in something even eviler? Or…"

"There is a distinct possibility," Giles rubbed his chin, "but we have no proof."

"Let's go through this in a logical way," Sarah said waving her hands, "let's find out their names first. And we take it from there."

"If we find nothing on the children, then…."

"G-man!" Faith yelled, her voice carrying through the library. Giles and Sarah rushed out of the office before the former could finish what he wanted to say. The both of them passed the book counter and then saw Faith, who was in the library for her tuition session with Giles, along with Xander, Willow, and Oz. Giles and Sarah glanced a Willow who was holding Oz's hand while Faith had a bag slung over her shoulders. As for Xander, he told Giles and Sarah that the both of them met the hurrying Faith in the hallway after their classes were finished.

"Oh, right," Sarah said as she looked at the wall clock, and then back at Giles, and then at the young people in front of them, "Where's Buffy and Tara?"

"Haven't seen them," Faith said shaking her head as she put her bag on top of the counter and then turned to Sarah and Giles.

"Faith said she's got something to tell us," Willow said as Faith turned her head towards the redhead and nodded her head. She then turned to Giles and said, "look, I just got up and I didn't know about the murders until… well… what I mean is that Mrs. S and B told me about the murders when we got back from patrol. But I didn't go to the murder site that night, and I didn't see the pictures of the 'kids'…" Both Giles and Sarah furrowed their eyebrows in confusion when Faith air-quoted the word, Kids, as she continued to speak, "I mean I was exhausted from dusting a few nests. I went back home and saw B and Joyce. They told me what happened at the playground, and… well… I didn't put it together until I saw the picture in the newspaper."

Faith then took a deep breath as she remembered her own stunned face looking back at her when she did a double take at the newspaper dispenser just outside the entrance to Sunnydale High. She was stunned at seeing the pictures of the two children side by side… both of the smiling. And besides, the two pictures was a larger picture of their bodies, one over another with a headline that read 'Mysterious Murder in Sunnydale'.

And it was then that Faith remembered a story, and she ran towards the school. Once she entered the main building, she met Oz, Willow, and Xander. With an urgency the three of them hadn't seen, they followed Faith after she breezed past them while only cryptically saying, "we need to talk in the library."

The dark-haired Slayer, before she continued, turned and raised her hand before apologising to Willow, Oz, and Xander for appearing to brush them off, "I remembered something that was really, really urgent and… and I'd do it again. And I'd hope even then, you would follow me here."

"Technically, that's not an apology," Willow stated while scratching her head. Faith shrugged while Oz asked her to continue. Xander walked over to the table, grabbed a chair, turned it to face the group of Giles, Sarah, Oz, Willow, and Faith before taking a seat. Faith simply nodded at Oz before she hopped onto the top of the counter. Once she was comfortable sitting down, Faith began telling them about an incident that her former watcher, Dr. Diana Dormer, told her about in relation to fear demons.

"Fear demons?"

"Diana told me that these things feed on fear and anger by turning people against each other," Faith said as she swung her legs while leaning forward. "These things have the ability to destroy an entire city, G-man."

"Please don't call me that," Giles whispered after a sigh while Xander raised his hand and said that 'G-man' was his world. Faith stuck her tongue out at him before she turned to Giles and Sarah.

"Diana showed me her diaries, and there was this one incident in Germany… I can't remember the name of the town but I remember what happened." Faith whispered, "the townspeople murdered themselves, each accusing the other of being a witch or wizard. Letters were found, letters that seemed to be written in a panic saying that witches were taking over the town, casting spells everywhere. That the town was practising the occult and that they had to be punished since they were bringing a drought and failed crops. Or something like that. But my point is that Diana's diary had a news clipping… a clipping that included pictures of two murdered children that sparked the whole madness."

"You mean…"

"Those kids were the same ones I saw on the front page of the newspaper," Faith said as Giles and Sarah looked on in concern. "They're here. And if those clippings were right, then Sunnydale's in deep trouble."

"If it's happened before, then I can run a search for that incident… and other similar incidents," Willow said as she rushed behind the counter to the computer, "it'll take some time though."

"Find what you can, Willow," Giles said as Willow sat down behind the computer. He then turned to Faith and said, "Good work, Faith. Thank you."

And Faith blushed before looking away. She then hopped off the counter and approached Giles before playfully punching him on his upper arm. "No problem yo." Faith smirked as Giles rubbed his arm while wincing in pain. Sarah patted his shoulder before turning back to Faith who walked over to the table with her bag and took a seat. Sarah then turned back to Willow and asked if she had seen a book which cover had the same symbol that was carved into the skin of the two supposed children.

"No, I haven't seen that book," Willow answered looking up from the computer screen while Oz walked over and sat down next to Xander, across from Faith who was leaning back on her seat and placing her feet on the table. Willow then looked back down at the screen in front of her while Giles was scratching his head and mumbling, "where could it be?" Willow then stopped typing and looked up with a knowing expression on her face and said, "I think I saw it in your office when I was scanning some of your diaries, Giles."

"Oh?" said Giles staring at Willow.

"It's on the left shelf near the door, the fourth row, at the end," Willow said before she looked back down at the computer screen.

While Giles was searching for the book, and Willow searching for more information on the mysterious deaths in Germany on the internet, Tara and Buffy were following the mysterious girl through one hallway after another. They tried to be discrete, especially since the throng of students in the hallways were decreasing since many of them were heading for the cafeteria.

The two young woman followed the demon as she walked into another hallway, and then entered a washroom. Buffy and Tara followed close behind and then stopped at the door. It was then that Buffy turned to Tara and said, "stay here, Tara."

"But…."

"Stay. Here," Buffy said as she looked into Tara's eyes. "Let me talk to her first, and then when it's safe, I'll call you. Well, unless she starts fighting me. Then, in that case, you'll be safe out here."

Tara reluctantly nodded her head before Buffy reached for, and then opened the door. The door closing behind her, Buffy was in the washroom already coiled and ready for a fight as she walked into the washroom.

The empty washroom. Buffy looked around with a confused expression on her face while Tara was waiting out in the hallway. Buffy narrowed her eyes as she looked around cautiously, but there was no sign of the demon. It was as if the mysterious girl vanished into thin air. Shaking her head, Buffy turned back to the mirrors in the washroom and sighed… she looked tired after having stayed up late with the worried Joyce. Buffy walked to the sink, turned on the tap, and then proceeded to wash her face. After she freshened up, Buffy then turned and walked towards the door. She was about to place her hand on the door handle when she felt a chill up her spine.

Her senses were screaming at her.

'Behind me,' she thought to herself. Just as Buffy was about to turn around, she caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eyes, of a fist heading for her head. Ducking in the nick of time, the fist heading for Buffy's head slammed through the inward swinging door. A startled Tara, now alone in the hallway, jumped back at the fist which slammed through the wooden door.

Tara's eyes grew wide as the fist was pulled back before hearing grunts, and objects being smashed, followed by Buffy saying "Ow". There were the sounds of body blows that were audible through the door.

Tara was about to walk into the washroom when a body was slammed against the door. Tara stepped back startled as the wooden door shook violently. Tara then heard yells and grunts before there was silence.

"Buffy?" Tara whispered as she placed her hand on the handle. She was about to push the door open when the door suddenly swung open. Tara let go of the handle just in time and stepped back as Buffy was panting while leaning against the wall closest to the door frame.

"She… she poofed away," Buffy groaned as Tara rushed to her and held onto her for support.

"Poofed? You killed her?"

"She just vanished," Buffy quietly said as she limped out into the hallway while using Tara as support, "she said she didn't do the murders."

"She…"

"No, I didn't," a female voice spoke as Tara and Buffy were about to begin the painful journey to the infirmary. Tara and Buffy stopped after the figure Buffy fought in the washroom shimmered into existence with bruises on her face, and tears on her sleeves. "But there is something here," the young woman said looking at Tara and Buffy She tilted her head at Buffy and smirked, "going in for the fight without thinking, let me guess? Umm…. You're a Slayer."

"Uh huh," Buffy said, "and for the record, you hit me first."

"I was defending myself," the young woman said. "Anyway, I read the papers too. And I don't kill children." She then shook her head, "Not my thing."

"Then what are you?" Tara said before the turned looked toward her, "I… I can see you are a demon, and…"

"I'm Anyanka, a Vengeance Demon," the girl said before turning to the injured Buffy, "and leave me alone. Or else I'll teleport the both of us high into the sky, and I'll leave you there." Anya then vanished, leaving Buffy and Tara alone in the hallway. The both of them were even more confused about what just happened- more questions forming in their minds. The biggest question was if Anya wasn't responsible for the deaths of the children, then who or what was?

TBC.


	38. Chapter 38

**Sunnydale High.**

"Ooooh," Buffy groaned while she reached for the right side of her body, just under her ribs. Tara had Buffy's right arm around her shoulder to steady the Slayer while her left arm was around the Slayer's waist on the latter's left side. It was only a few seconds after Anya vanished from sight in the hallway that Buffy was limping with Tara towards the school infirmary.

"Just hold on for a little while longer, Buffy," Tara whispered as they walked past open doors where classes were empty, with the students being in the cafeteria or out of campus for lunch. The hallway, with lockers on either side, was empty with the only sound being the footsteps of the two young women. The two of them simply hoped that they didn't meet up with any of the faculty, especially Principal Snyder. Buffy whispered that the principal already thought she was a trouble maker and she didn't want to reinforce his dislike towards her.

"A Vengeance Demon," Buffy shook her head. The pain on her lower right ribs felt as if someone stabbed her with a knife, and then twisted it around just for the fun of it all, "never heard of them. And.. and did she say that she'll teleport us into the sky and leave me there?"

"Yep," Tara whispered as the both of them made a turn into another hallway, and then limped up a staircase. "I'm guessing you'd be falling to…"

"Yeah," Buffy whispered as pain travelled up and down her spine from the back of her thigh, the same place where Anya kicked her earlier, "I'll be going 'splat' onto the ground." Buffy looked around at Tara as they walked up the stairs and said, "you would have been hurt if you were in there."

"And now you're the one hurt," Tara whispered as she looked at Buffy. Tara focused on Buffy's facial cuts and scrapes before looking away. "You're going to be okay."

"That's my job," Buffy chuckled for a few seconds before groaning in pain once again as she pressed against her ribs with here hand, "oooo, it hurts when I laugh." Tara chuckled as they moved along.

"Momma's going to take care of you, Buffy," Tara said as she tried to remember what little she read about Vengeance Demons, the very same demons she thought about calling against her father and brother when she first heard about their existence months before she and Sarah left. In the meantime, while she and Buffy walked up the steps on a flight of stairs.

In the meantime, Tara mentally called out for Sarah while verbally explaining to Buffy what she read about Vengeance demons in Sarah's magic books. While Tara told Buffy that she used to read some of her mother's magic books, the truth was that the books were hidden away in a secret spot in the basement so that Teddy would not find out about them. When Teddy and Donnie weren't home, Tara would read the books; and sometimes Sarah would train her on magic use in the basement.

While Tara was talking to Buffy, she was continued to mentally speak with Sarah about Buffy's injuries. Tara thought Sarah was in the infirmary, and so was surprised to hear from Sarah that she was in the library with Giles. However, once Tara magically informed her mother of the situation with Buffy, Sarah said that both she and Giles were heading to the infirmary.

" _You know what to do, Sweetie,"_ Sarah mentally told her daughter after she relayed to Giles that Buffy was injured. Faith, Willow, and Xander wanted to accompany Sarah and Giles as they were about to leave for the infirmary, but the Watcher ordered them to search the books in his office for the identity of the fear demon.

"Mom's in the library with Mr. Giles," Tara said as she opened the doors to the infirmary using her shoulder. Buffy grunted before asking if everything was alright while Tara led her to a bed, and then helped her take a seat on top of the mattress. "I don't know why," Tara said before Buffy could ask anything. Tara then looked around and laid her eyes on the fridge near the far wall. Tara rushed to the fridge, opened the door and then reached down and grabbed a blue coloured pack. It was ice cold to the touch as Tara pulled it out and then closed the door. She then turned and rushed to Buffy.

"Buffy," Tara said as she held the pack in her left hand and said, "I need you to lift the left side of your blouse," while pointing to Buffy's left side, and continued without a beat, "I need to see if you're bleeding internally or if your ribs are broken, or…"

"I didn't hear a crack, or… or anything like that," Buffy whispered as she lifted the left side of her blouse. Tara saw some bruising, but nothing that seemed to indicate internal bleeding. It was just a simple, but painful, bruise. Tara wanted to place her fingers on the area above the ribs to check if they were broken, but she felt Buffy would feel more comfortable with Sarah instead of with her.

'I could ask her and… no… it looks alright. A broken rib and internal bleeding would be something different and… and if I touch her skin, even with her permission, then she may get the wrong idea and… okay… okay.. momma said she's coming so I'll try something else.'

"I'm going to place this on the bruise, Buffy," Tara said while gently placing the ice-pack just onto the bruise, which made Buffy flinch before she grabbed Tara's shoulder. "Ow," Buffy squeaked as she felt the cold plastic make contact with her bare skin. She closed her eyes as the coolness went through her body while her hand gently squeezed Tara's shoulder. Buffy opened her eyes and saw Tara's eyes on the icepack as the latter held it down. Buffy looked down and saw one of Tara's hand on the mattress to her right side before she looked up at the profile of Tara's face. "Thanks."

Tara heard the whisper and looked up at Buffy. Their eyes locked, and Tara felt herself swimming in the brown of Buffy's eyes. Suddenly Tara was aware of where she was; alone with Buffy in the infirmary. Tara had seen the Slayer's milky white skin around the bruised areas of her waist, she had seen the toned muscle that lightly showed through from what Tara glimpsed of Buffy's abdomen when the latter lifted the side of her blouse.

Tara felt her face flush as she imagined kissing Buffy and the Slayer returning the kiss. She imagined gently kissing Buffy's abdomen as her ears started to warm up.

"Tara?"

It was only a second in real time, which to Tara seemed like minutes, when Tara snapped her head away after Buffy called her name once again. She tore her eyes away from looking into Buffy's brown orbs when hearing, "you ok? You looked like you were deep in thought or something while you looked at me. I thought that maybe you used your magic to see if I had any major injury, and then you found the injury, and it was bad so you were trying to find a way to tell me, and…" Buffy rambled on before Tara interrupted her.

"No, no," Tara shook her head as she looked back down on her hand being on the icepack, "I.. I was just thinking about something…"

"Don't tell me you thought that Anya chick was cute," Buffy smirked.

"What?" Tara exclaimed before shaking her head, "no. I mean yeah she was kind of cute but no… I wasn't thinking about her. And… I mean she's a demon, so… yeah."

Buffy chuckled before groaning again as she slumped forward. Tara looked on in worry before reaching out to steady Buffy who, once again said, "laughing hurts."

Tara smiled a little as she helped Buffy lie down. She then took Buffy's hand and placed it over the ice-pack. Tara then, while Buffy held the ice-pack down against her own body, went to grab a chair and sat down next to her. Tara wanted to comfort Buffy, she wanted to stroke her hair, to brush her fingers on her skin… but she did everything possible keep her feelings from boiling up to the surface. The both of them made small talk about the current situation, in regards to the murders, with Buffy asking Tara if there was any other type of ritual that required children.

And the both of them spoke about several other theories on why the children were murdered. And all their theories led to the same conclusion, a possible apocalypse was coming for Sunnydale and the world. It wasn't a few seconds after Buffy and Tara agreed they needed to check in with Giles that the latter and Sarah hurried in through the double doors. And behind them was a worried Joyce who the both of them met on the way to the infirmary- the former was heading towards the library to meet with Buffy.

"Honey," Joyce exclaimed as Tara got out of the chair and stepped back while Joyce rushed around the bed and stood over Buffy and holding her hand tight. Joyce looked over the Slayer's wounds while Sarah grabbed one end of the curtain before beginning to pull it around the three of them; herself, Joyce, and Buffy- for privacy. Joyce, seeing her daughter's injuries, then looked up at Sarah, "This was magic, this was the thing that killed the children, and…"

"It wasn't, Joyce," Sarah said before she looked over at Tara just before pulling the curtain shut, "Tara, Rupert will fill you in on what's happening. I'll talk to Joyce."

"Okay," Tara said as she turned towards Giles who said that they came across Joyce as they got out of the library. Joyce was going into the library to talk to Buffy and then when she was told about Buffy being injured, she rushed up to the infirmary with them.

Giles then looked at the curtain, and then back to Tara while nodding towards the exit. The both of them then made their way to the exit while Sarah was checking Buffy's injuries while Joyce held her daughter's hand tightly. The doors to the infirmary swung open as both Giles and Tara made their way into the hallway where the latter told him about the Vengeance Demon named Anya.

"A vengeance Demon?" Giles asked with his eyes narrowed at Tara while he fixed his glasses, "are you certain?"

"Yea," Tara replied while nodding towards the just closed infirmary doors, "Buffy and Anya fought and.. and anyway, she said that she didn't cause the murders."

"No, Vengeance Demons don't kill needlessly, and they never kill children," Giles agreed while nodding his head and rubbing his chin at the same time. He then looked through the glass viewport at the green coloured curtain before turning his head back to Tara, "Faith came to see me with Willow, Oz, and Xander. She said that she recognized the children from the picture in the newspaper… they could very well be demons that feed on fear."

"Oh," Tara was surprise, "do you want me researching with Willow and the others?"

"Willow is already searching the internet for these children," Giles replied as Tara looked away from him and stared at the doors. She then sighed before looking back at Giles, their eyes locked for an instant before Tara looked away. Giles could see that she was worried, but he didn't know if she was worried about the current situation with the murdered children and the possible demon, or that Buffy was injured.

A second later, Tara answered that question by saying, "I hope Buffy's going to be alright." Giles then nodded his head before placing a hand on her shoulders and said, "she's going to be fine. You brought her to the infirmary. Your mother will take care of her, and Buffy's got Joyce in there with her now."

"I know," Tara said before shaking her head and then taking a deep breath, "so, I'll run over to the library and help research."

"Faith, Oz and Xander have already started, at least I've told them to start," Giles said, "just make sure they don't laze about. It is very important that we find out more about these demons."

"How about Miss Calendar?" Tara asked before she was about to leave, "she and Willow together would be… you know… two really good computer people being…."

"Computer people?" Giles arched an eyebrow at Tara, "you and Buffy have been spending too much time together." Tara then chuckled before saying she'll call Jenny and ask her to meet at the library where she and Willow could scour the net for information. Giles nodded his head before adding, "if you see Cordelia, have her help."

"Sure," Tara said before she ran down the hallway. Meanwhile, Giles turned back to the viewport and stared at the green curtain, and the shadows of Joyce and Sarah moving behind the curtain. Suddenly, as he stared at the curtain, Giles snapped his head to the left when he felt a cold rush past him.

"What are you?" he whispered just as the cold feeling that had him erupt in goosebumps subsided, until it simply vanished.

 **TBC**


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N:** Sorry it so long to upload this chapter. I'm taking a few courses, so my time is divided between those and writing these chapters. Do not worry, I'm still writing but it would take time between writing the chapters and uploading them to the site. In the meantime, enjoy. Cheers.

 **Sunnydale High Library, an hour later.**

"Buffy," Tara whispered as she stared at Buffy while the latter was seated on one of the beds in the school infirmary. The blonde Slayer was pressing the blue coloured ice pack onto her injury, the pack itself was under her blouse. Tara caught a glimpse of Buffy's black and blue bruised skin as well as the cream coloured skin that surrounded it. Buffy looked up from the pack she held against her skin, and to Tara who had her hands clasped together… her thumbs fiddling with each other nervously.

Tara saw Buffy looking straight at her, their eyes locked together before Tara nervously broke the connection and looked away. The blonde witch then whispered, "noth… nothing, I.. I just wanted to ask if you were feeling better."

"Feels better now, Tara," Buffy smiled as Tara nodded her head before looking back down at the ice-pack, and then back at Tara, "thanks."

Tara gave a nervous smile before there was a flash of white light, and she found herself repeating that one moment in time. "Buffy?" Tara asked with her hands clasped together, her thumbs fiddling with each other as she stared at Buffy looking up from pressing the ice-pack against her skin. Their eyes locked, and Tara looked away nervously, "I…. was worried and…"

"I'm fine, Tara," Buffy replied while Tara turned her head back to Buffy, locking their eyes together once more, "you helped me to the infirmary. And you're staying with me until your mother gets here and… I mean…," Buffy reached out and held Tara's hand before gently squeezing, "you're here."

"I…" Tara felt her heart racing as she looked back at Buffy, but she continued to speak despite everything in her mind telling her to stop, "I was wondering if.. if.. you know… if you'd like to go on a date?"

Tara averted her eyes at the surprise on Buffy's face. She was expecting to hear the word, "no" or "I'd love to but I'm not interested in girls," or, "I'm flattered but I can't, I'm sorry." Tara expected to hear any of those, but she was not expecting to hear, "yes." Tara looked up in surprise and stared into Buffy's eyes. She searched for any signs of deceit, and there was none. A smile appeared on Tara's face when Buffy asked if she wanted to go to teh Espresso Pump after school.. just the both of them.

"Yes," Tara whispered just before there was a bright flash of white light. And the moment repeated itself once again.

"I… I'm flattered, Tara," a surprised Buffy said as Tara stood in front of the Slayer. Tara expected what was coming… she expected it… but hearing what Buffy was saying made it none the easier to hear, "I… I like you as a friend, and… and I'm sorry. I.. I don't have feelings for you that way." And Tara felt her heart crack. She looked into Buffy's eyes and then looked away before making a muffled excuse about having to go out to the hallway since she was allergic to the anti-septic smell in the infirmary. Tara saw Buffy look away before the former turned and walked away with tears in her eyes.

And then, once Tara got out into the hallway and leaned back against the wall next to the double doors, there was another bright white flash of light as she forced herself out of her daydream.

Tara took a deep breath, finding herself looking down at the same page of the same book she had been 'reading' for the past ten minutes. Tara shifted her eyes upwards when she felt someone looking at her; it was Faith sitting right opposite her with her elbows resting on the table, a goofy grin on her face as she rest her chin in the palm of her hand. Tara didn't know how long Faith had been staring at her with the goofy grin on her face, but the witch glanced around to see Xander, Cordelia, Willow, and Oz busy with their own research into the fear demons. Tara shifted her eyes back to Faith, and that goofy grin, before looking away from the second Slayer and then changing the page of the book she was reading.

'A day dream,' Tara thought to herself as she glanced up at Faith who arched an eyebrow at her, 'just a day dream.' She was reading one word after another, but Tara couldn't concentrate while feeling Faith's eyes boring right through her. Tara closed her eyes, closed the book, and then looked up and opened her eyes at Faith.

"So, thinking hard about something?" Faith whispered leaning forwards so that the others could barely hear her. "or…."

"Just worried how many more people would be hurt if we don't stop the fear demon, Faith," Tara whispered as she looked away from the grinning Faith who had been looking through a book as well, "I.. I think… I think we need more to find the demon. Do you remember any other description in addition to the one you already told me about?"

"Nope," Faith said leaning back looking back at the book in her hand. She was bored, Faith wanted something to punch.. something to kick… something to kill. Waiting around for others to do their research wasn't her cup of tea; what she wanted to do was grab the demon and then kill it. But it was while she was reading the book given to her by Giles to research the name of the demon, Faith noticed Tara staring at the same page for ten minutes. But just before she could say anything else, teh bell rang through the school signalling the start of the next class.

Faith heard Tara sigh before Giles looked up from his research and told the others to head out to their classes. He looked at Willow who was behind the counter and asked her to show Faith where it was that she finished her research so that Faith could take over. "Coming Red," Faith said getting up off her chair while closing the book she was reading until then. As she got up, Faith glanced at Tara, and noticed the blonde's eyes locked onto her own, "you wanna stay and help out? I know Oz, Red, Xan-man, and Cordelia have classes… how about you?"

"I… I have a class," Tara whispered while Willow was calling for Faith from behind the library counter.

"I know I was staring and all," Faith whispered as Tara walked around the table before the head for the counter while Xander, Cordelia, and Oz picked up their backpacks from the floor, "and… well, you okay? You seemed a bit out there just now."

"I'm fine," Tara reassured Faith, "I…"

"You wanna talk later?" Faith whispered as the both of them got closer to the counter, "after school. Just you and me? I… I mean I'm not much of a talker but I saw you were bothered about something, and…"

Tara stared at Faith and wondered, 'wait, does she know? Does she know about me?' She then opened her mouth and said, "ummm…. I was just bothered about the whole fear demon thing. And then there's the vengeance demon. It's been a very long day."

Faith could tell from Tara's body language and facial features that that the girl was lying. But Faith simply nodded her head and walked around the counter to Willow, but not before telling Tara they were going dancing that night at the Bronze, "and that's cause I know we're gonna figure out this crazy fear demon thing, and then kill it." Faith then pointed at Tara after she came around to the back of the counter, "and then you and me, and the rest of us Scoobies are going dancing."

"I can agree with that," Cordelia smirked at Faith before continuing, "but before that, I don't know any of you." Cordelia then sauntered out of the library while Xander rolled his eyes upwards.

"But ya love us anyway!" Faith cried out at Cordelia who trued and walked back through the double doors out of the library. She winked at Faith before turning around and entering the hallway to take up the persona of the snobbish girl who thought she was better than the Scoobies. A few seconds later, Xander and the others left- including Tara who nodded her head at Faith about going dancing later that night should they find the fear demon, and then kill it. It would be a few minutes later, after Willow showed her the research she had done already, that Faith took over the computer.

Soon, Giles and Faith were joined by Jenny and Sarah while Joyce remained with the still injured Buffy. It would be a few hours later that the Scoobies, including Buffy, returned to the library with Joyce as well. The latter was still certain, despite Sarah and Giles having tried convincing her, that magic was the reason the children died. She said that she was going to recommend holding a vigil at city hall in their memory, "and I feel we should have a conversation about the rise of these ritualistics groups in Sunnydale."

"Okaaay," Jenny said before placing a hand on Joyce's shoulder, "how about we tackle this whole demon thing first before you start any vigils."

"Mom," Buffy said, Joyce turning towards the blonde, "isn't it weird that no one knows the names of the kids who were killed?" It was something that had Buffy wondering the whole day. And it was something she shared with Tara, Xander, and Willow during their final class of the day- that it was strange that no one knew the names of the children.

"And where are the children's parents?" Tara asked as she stood next to Buffy and Faith, leaning against the library counter.

"But…." Joyce said before she stopped talking and thought about what the two girls had said. She thought to herself that the two children were killed and that the adults needed to do something. Joyce told herself that she needed to go out there and do something… anything… that would stop the supernatural events. But another part of Joyce was telling herself that Buffy and Tara were right, 'by now we should have known who they are. At least their parents should have come forward to say something. I mean… I mean the kids were killed and no one has come forward to identify them or…' Joyce then came to a realization before saying out loud, "maybe the parents are out of town. The kids probably were being looked after by a babysitter who is scared to come forward."

"You don't really believe that, do you, Mrs. S?" Faith asked with her eye brow raised. Joyce and Faith stared at each other, the former being unsure of her own reasoning by the second.

"It makes some sense, and…"

"I found something!" Willow exclaimed, interrupting Joyce, as she got up from the chair behind the computer and looked up at the group while Oz rushed around the counter and then walked up next to Willow. "I did a reverse search on their pictures and…"

"They're been around a very long time," Oz whispered leaning forward as well the others rushed behind the counter and stared at the yellowish picture on the computer screen before them. The picture was that of the two children, but it was in the late eighteen hundreds. While Oz ad the others looked on, Willow sat back down and then selected another picture, and then another, and then another, and then another while Oz placed a hand on Willow's shoulder and said, "every fifty years. Look at the dates." Oz pointed at the dates on the newspaper clippings and pictures while Giles fixed his glasses and said, "the fear demon poses as the two children and…."

"Does anyone see their names?" a stunned Buffy pointed at the screen, "ummmm…. Hans and Greta Strauss… does that sound familiar?"

"Fairy tales coming true," Sarah whispered in surprise when she and Tara looked at each other, and then at the screen once again.

"They inspired the story of Hansel and Gretel," Xander inferred while Jenny nodded her head before reading from the screen, "they appear in a town to convince residents to kill the bad girls? Bad girls?"

"Witches," Willow whispered as she leaned back on the chair while Buffy turned her head towards a surprised Joyce.

"What… what if I had… what would have happened if we started going after…." Joyce then looked up over the counter and her eyes widened in shock while her voice trailed off. Everyone turned to the stunned look on Joyce's face as she stared at the middle of the library.

"Joyce?" Giles asked before he turned his head and stared at the spot where he thought the older blonde was eyeing. But he didn't see anything. Giles then heard a gasp from behind him. Turning around, he saw both Sarah and Tara wrapped their arms around their own bodies as they shivered with a look of terror on their faces.

"This is the same feeling I had in the infirmary," Sarah said looking at Giles while Joyce whispered that the children were standing in the middle of the library telling her to kill the 'bad girls'.

"Yeah, well…" Faith shrugged at the empty spot in the middle of the library, "ain't happening."

"Rupert," Sarah and Jenny said together before Jenny continued with what she thought the former was about to say, "we need to find a spell that'll kill this thing."

"They'll kill us all," whispered Joyce before she looked at Buffy and the others, "they're gone. They.. they said we're all bad and.. and they'll kill us all."

 **The Bronze, 2000 hours.**

Tara, Buffy, and the others were in danger. With the sound of loud music blasting through the speakers while Tara watched Buffy dancing with an unknown young man, Xander with Cordelia, Willow with Oz, and Faith with a random stranger- Tara thought back to how they slipped out of the school so that they couldn't be captured by anyone that the bhildren could have convinced to come after them.

She took a sip of her drink and then leaned forward recalling Giles saying that he knew of a spell that would reveal what was hidden, but the spell was in German. While Willow searched for the spell, Tara, Buffy, Sarah, Joyce, and the others helped search for the ingredients. Tara recalled fear gripping her heart as soon as time went by- and she nearly jumped out of her skin when a bleeding and bruised Amy rushed in with tears falling from her eyes.

"Amy?" Buffy asked while Sarah rushed to the witch, "what happened?"

"Some of the.. the students were yelling that I was a witch and…" it was then that there were yells coming out of the hallway. Buffy rushed to the doorway along with Faith and opened the doors to the library. They looked out and noticed students running away from other students who were yelling that "all witches had to die". Faith quickly rushed out and then pulled the fire alarm on the opposite wall before she pulled Buffy back into the library.

"We have a distraction now, we need to get out," Faith yelled just as Willow excitedly said she found the spell and ingredients before beginning to write it down. It would be once she was done writing that Giles ordered everyone to rush out the Library's rear exit which led directly to the parking lot where their cars were parked.

"Sarah, take Joyce, Buffy, Willow to my apartment," Giles said before turning to Cordelia, "take Xander and the others, including Amy, in your car and drive to my apartment." Giles then looked up at Tara and said, "Tara, you and I are going to the Magic Box. We're getting the ingredients, and then we'll head back to my apartment."

And that's what they did. As Tara chuckled watching Buffy gently push away another dancing partner, she recalled the slight damage to Giles' apartment when the demon was revealed. They saw the two children look up at them in sadness before they hugged each other, eventually forming a grey skinned, seven foot tall demon with scars and boil over its body.

It didn't take long before both Slayers killed it- Faith stabbing it with a sword and then Buffy beheading it with an axe.

'And now, things have returned to normal,' Tara thought as she finished her drink and stared at Buffy before looking away just as the latter turned around towards another young man who tapped her shoulders. Tara sighed before mentally telling herself to stop daydreaming and pining over Buffy. 'It's no use just daydreaming and wondering what her reaction is going to be.' Tara then stood up from her chair and walked around the table.

Tara made her way through the crowded dance floor, and then stepped onto the slightly raised dance floor. Tara walked towards Buffy who was dancing with her back to her with a young man. She was only ten strides away from Buffy, and Tara told herself to take those steps confidently and ask Buffy for a dance. After all, she thought to herself, they had just saved the city- Buffy and Faith were happy and so the blonde Slayer would be more acceptable towards a dance with Tara. At least that's what Tara thought to herself.

'Okay, that's a stupid reason,' Tara thought to herself when she was simply five steps away from Buffy. Tara stopped and shook her head before she turned, her face red in embarrassment, and then crept back towards the table. As she walked through the crowds, back to the table, Tara felt a hand grasp her wrist. Surprised, Tara turned around to find the Vengeance Demon she and Buffy met earlier, Anya, holding onto her wrist.

"Ummm… Anya? Right?" Tara asked while she glanced around at the distracted Scoobies before her eyes shifted back to Anya. Tara could sense that the woman in front of her was a demon, but didn't feel as if she was in danger.

"I'd have gone to your crazy friend back there," Anya nodded towards Buffy, "but I thought it would be better coming to you. Especially since I'm not in the mood to fight."

"She's not crazy," Tara pointed out.

"Well, she's a Slayer and so she's a bit nuts," Anya counter while Tara shook her head chuckling.

"I guess you're here to find people you could help get vengeance?" Tara asked.

"Part of it," Anya said without any further explanation. And Tara thought it was better that way while Anya let go of her wrist. "You and the others discovered who killed the children?"

"Yes," Tara nodded her head, "the children were two part of a fear demon."

"Ah," Anya nodded her head, "didn't expect that. Told you and the slayer that it wasn't me."

"You did," Tara nodded her head.

"Anyway, I have more wishes to grant," Anya said before she took a step back, "see you around."

"Well, I don't really have any vengeance wishes that need to be granted," Tara chuckled.

"Don't you?" Anya said with a knowing look on her face. A look that wiped the smile off Tara's face- the young woman's heart now racing while her face took on a more serious expression as Anya continued, "I can see into you, Tara. I see the pain, the hurt, the anger, the…"

"I.. I don't know what you're talking about," Tara said as confidently as she could.

"I see the rage," Anya said in a soft voice after she took a few steps closer to Tara and stared into her eyes, "I don't know what happened, but if whoever caused this hurt ever comes after you, then call me."

"I…"

"You will call me," Anya said. And Tara realised that Anya had made a statement, and not a request. She was telling Tara that once day, the blonde witch would call for the Vengeance Demon. It was then that Anya vanished, leaving Tara just standing there among the young people who were dancing around her. Tara closed her eyes to take a deep breath while willing her heart to slow down- however it started to race once again when she felt a hand on her shoulder and a familiar voice.

"Tara?" Buffy asked as the blonde witch turned around to come face to face with the Slayer, "was that who I think it was? I mean I was dancing when I saw Anya vanish, and… and are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah," Tara nodded her head as she pushed away from her mind the thought of how the perfume that Buffy was intoxicating, 'Oh goddess Tara, just freaking tell her and get it over with!' Tara then sighed and said, "Anya just wanted to know if we caught the thing that killed the children. I told her what happened and then she left."

"Oh," Buffy nodded her head. "You wanna come and dance with us, or…" Buffy nodded towards were Faith was now dancing with the other Scoobies. Tara looked over Buffy's shoulders and saw that the people she had been dancing with moved on to other targets. Tara thought they moved on probably because Buffy rushed over to find out what it was that Anya wanted with her. Before Buffy cold finish what she wanted to say, Tara interrupted her.

"Buffy," Tara said thinking that this was it- it was time to just rip of the metaphorical bandage instead of continuing to think about Buffy as anything more than just a friend, "could we… umm…. Could we…." Tara stared at the questioning look on Buffy's face as she imagined the Slayer shaking her head and saying that she didn't have any romantic feelings for her. "Could we…"

"Could we?" asked a confused Buffy.

"Could we dance?" Tara said.

"That's what I just said," Buffy nodded towards Faith and the others, "lets go and dance."

"Wait," Tara exclaimed as she raised her hands and rubbed her face while shaking her head as Buffy looked on in concern at her friend. The blonde Slayer had a questioning look on her face as Tara put her hands back down and released a sigh before looking away from her for just an instance.

"Tara?" Buffy asked just as her favourite song began booming out through the speakers. Buffy looked back over her shoulders at Faith and the others having tarter to dance before looking back at Tara who stared back at her with an exhausted expression on her face. "Tara, you look tired. You want to…"

"Can.. Can we talk?" Tara asked stepping a bit closer to Buffy, "just.. I mean, just us?"

Buffy stared at the expectant look on Tara's face, an expression that soon turned to something resembling terror when the latter realized she said something she shouldn't have, "Buffy, I mean… I…"

"Come on," Buffy nodded towards the rear exit, "let's go outside." Buffy wondered what Tara wanted to talk about- they had beaten the demon, and they were simply celebrating. Nothing else came to Buffy's mind as she walked alongside Tara until the latter opened the door leading to the alleyway next to the Bronze, Tara then closed the door while Buffy stood on the Streator with the lights brightening up the entire alleyway to prevent any attacks from gang members. "So, what's up?"

"I'm not going to hold back or anything," Tara said rubbing her hands while she paced the ground in front of Buffy who kept her eyes on the blonde, "I… look, Buffy, you know I like girls, and.."

"Yeah," Buffy nodded her head while Tara continued to pace the ground. Buffy then opened her eyes wide at the thought of why Tara was acting so strangely. She had seen Tara talking to Anya before the latter vanished, "wait a minute, are you saying that you like Anya? I mean I know she's kinda not bad looking but she's still a demon, and.."

"Huh?" Tara said before she stopped and stared at Buffy, "no.. No… it's not Anya. I.."

"If you want me to be your wing-woman," Buffy whispered with a grin on her face, "then I'll be right next to you, and…"

"Buffy," Tara shook her head after stopping her pacing. She stared at the blonde Slayer before she rubbed the back of her head and her face turned red, "I… I like you, and.."

"What?" a surprised Buffy said while her eyes were widened in shock, "you… huh? Me? You like me?"

"I… I like you. I think you're attractive, brave, smart, and…"

"Tara," Buffy stopped Tara from talking further, "I… I'm flattered that.. That you like me and… what I mean is that..."

'And there it is,' Tara's heart broke as Buffy said the one words she was dreading. 'Flattered' she said she's 'flattered'. Tara stared at Buffy while trying to hold back tears as Buffy continued, "I'm afraid that I don't… I mean, I like boys and… Tara you're…"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA," Tara started to suddenly laugh hysterically shaking her head and rubbing the back of her head while Buffy looked on in stunned silence. Tara's laughter echoed through the alleyway for the next four seconds before she calmed down, "I was just testing my delivery, Buffy." Tara wiped the tears from her eyes while chuckling at the stunned Buffy. However, the tears were not one of laughter, it was off immense sadness. Tara felt as if she wanted the Earth to open and swallow her up, but since it didn't, Tara had to do everything in her power to wave off what she just revealed to Buffy. Even though it hurt her to the very core, "there's a girl I'm interested in, and.. Well, I wanted to tell her I like her. And.."

"And I was your Guinea pig?"

"Well, she usually dates guys and I didn't know how she'd take with someone like me asking her out on a date? Or telling her that I liked her," Tara admitted before laughing again. She wanted to cry, she wanted to let her pain out by crying.. But all she could do was laugh. Tara didn't want Buffy to see that she was hurting, and so she laughed out loud as more tears fell down her face while Buffy looked on. Tara then laughed while waving her hands, "I.. I'm sorry Buffy. I.. I guess I have to change my approach, and…"

"Tara," Buffy said as she placed a hand on the witch's shoulder. Buffy looked into Tara's eyes and wondered if she was really joking. However, for the next three seconds, the Sayer couldn't tell anything at all. So Buffy sighed and said, "I hope the girl you want to have a relationship with knows how lucky she is."

"And that's if she says she likes me too," Tara shrugged her shoulders.

"I.. I guess we should be heading back," Buffy motioned towards the door, "is the girl you like here?" Buffy's heart raced waiting for Tara's answer.

"No," Tara shook her head. And Buffy felt relieved, but one part of her felt ashamed for feeling relieved.

"Well, it's her loss. Tonight, we have you, and she doesn't," Buffy said while reaching for the handle to the door. She pushed the handle down, and then opened the door to the sounds of music blasting from the speakers, "come on, let's go in."

"You go ahead, I'll be right behind you," Tara yelled over the din of the noise.

Buffy then nodded her head before saying that Tara really managed to convince her that she liked her, "I'll see you inside, Tara," Buffy chuckled before she walked back onto the Bronze and closed the door behind her. Tara stared at the door for several seconds while counting down in her mind as she waited for Buffy to move away from the door. Tara knew that Slayer's had enhanced hearing- she did want Buffy to hear what was about to happen.

'I made a fool of myself. By the goddess, I made a fool of myself!' Tara thought to herself as the tears, which she had been doing her best to hold back, now streamed down her cheeks. Tara brought her hands over her lips and closed her eyes as she sobbed. She was embarrassed, and felt as if she made a fool of herself. The worst part was having to pretend that she had no interest in Buffy whatsoever- and that was painful.

It would be several minutes later that Tara pulled herself together, straightened her clothes and wiped dry the tears that were coming out of her eyes. She wiped away the stains on her cheeks as well. She then walked back into the Bronze and walked directly to the Scoobies where Buffy was dancing with a young man. Tara looked away from Buffy, her heart shattered, and was then pulled by Willow and Oz to join then.

And that's what Tara did the rest of the night. She danced with Willow, Oz, Xander, and Cordelia while Faith and Buffy danced the night away with their partners. 'Just forget it, Tara. What are you going to do? Just go from one girl to the next? First Willow, and now Buffy.. Who's next?' Tara was laughing as Oz joked into her ear while they danced, 'I'll just step back and let things happen. Yeah, just let things fall where they may. That's what I'll do.'

TBC.


	40. Chapter 40

**Sarah and Tara's apartment, 0300 hours.**

'I'm flattered,' that was the only thought going through Tara's mind as she lay down on her bed and stared up at the ceiling, 'I'm flattered.' Tara sighed before she rolled to her side, her back to the door leading up to her room. Her chest still hurt at the thought of the look on Buffy's face when she said that she was flattered at what Tara had said- and as much as she tried to forget that look, Tara could not. She closed her eyes and Buffy's face was there in front of her. When she tried to think past Buffy and the crush she had on Willow, Tara discovered that Willow's face was replaced by Buffy.

Tara's eyes were wide open staring at the curtain covered window as she came to a realization that she couldn't get Buffy out of her head, 'I can't stop thinking about her' Tara thought to herself as she rubbed her chest over her knee length night shirt. She recalled earlier that night how normal she had acted with Buffy when Sarah dropped her off before heading home- Tara smiled, waved, and said goodbye to Buffy and that they would be seeing each other the next day at school. Tara hid her feelings when she looked back at Buffy sitting in the rear passenger seat before opening the door to get out, and Buffy looked as she always did.

Tara didn't see any sign that Buffy thought of her admission as anything more than a simple joke. After Buffy left the car and Sarah drove down the street, Tara leaned ack on her seat and looked out the passenger side window at the houses and light posts that the car was rushing past.

"Honey," Sarah whispered as she stopped the car at a stop-sigh before making a left onto the main road, "are you alright?"

"Yeah," Tara whispered looking out the window.

"I can feel your emotions, Tara," Sarah gently said while her eye remained glued to the road while watching Tara turn her head back towards her from her peripheral vision. Sarah then glanced at her daughter who leaned back and stared at her before turning her head back to the street in front of them and said, "did something happen? I've been sensing it since the Bronze."

"And here I was trying to hide it," Tara whispered without an expression on her face. And Tara meant what she said, Tara had been trying to hide it from her mother. She had tried to be as happy and chipper as possible when Sarah picked her and Buffy up, but apparently it had failed, 'I must be more out of it emotionally than I thought.' Tara then sighed before whispering, "I told the girl I like that I… you know… like her."

"Oh honey," Sarah whispered glancing at her daughter with a look of concern, "what… did… oh no, she didn't…."

"She said that…" Tara then sighed turning her head back to the front, "it doesn't matter."

"Tara," Sarah said glancing at her daughter, "it matters. What happened?"

"Nothing," Tara shook her head.

Sarah glanced at the sad look on her daughter's face once again before saying, "who's the girl? I wanna talk to her."

"Momma," Tara snapped her head to Sarah with eyes wide open, "no you will not."

Sarah then chuckled before saying, "uh huh, I will. I demand to know why she thinks my girl's not good enough for her," Sarah then turned to Tara and gently said, "because you're good enough for any girl."

Tara gave a small smile before saying, "she said she's interest in boys and… and… I guess I just laughed and told her I was joking. I told her that I was just trying to get the courage to talk to someone else and…"

"You told a stranger that you were joking?" Sarah asked with a confused look on her face.

"Just drop it, momma," Tara curtly said while she shook her head; Tara didn't want to say anything else in case Sarah guessed she was talking about Buffy. However, Tara realized that Sarah couldn't possibly guess who she was talking about and immediately Tara felt awful looking at the surprise on Sarah's face before the latter turned her head back to the windshield. Tara took a deep breath before she whispered, "sorry, momma. It's just that I… I think I really like this girl and… I mean she doesn't see me that way."

"Like I said, honey," Sarah said with a smile, "she doesn't know that she's missing being with a wonderful person."

Back in the present, in Tara's dark room, she lay on her side before taking in a deep breath and closed her eyes once again. She tried to shift her mind from thinking about Buffy to helping figure out a way for Oz to control the wolf side of himself. But the more Tara tried, the more thoughts of Buffy saying that she 'was flattered' appeared in Tara's mind. Tara continued keeping her eyes shut and her mind occupied… it felt as if two sides were trying to vie for control of her thoughts; her rational side that wanted to figure out a way that they could continue helping Oz other than simple herbs, meditation, and essences that he had already been using. Her rational side was going up against the emotional side that was feeling hurt at being pushed away.

'What did you tell yourself, Tara?' she thought to herself while the two parts of her self were screaming at each other in her mind, 'you promised to take a step back. Step back and see where it leads. Just step back.' Tara took a deep breath once again, 'now, herbs and essences of sage are having a calming effect on Oz when he's human… we need to know if it will be the same when he becomes a wolf.' The other screams of hurt started to feel as if they were being pushed away, 'but we need something permanent. Something that Oz can consciously control when the time comes for the full moon.'

A few minutes later, Tara finally slipped into light sleep as she thought about ways that she, Giles, and Willow could use to help Oz.

 **Buffy's home, at that same time.**

Buffy just stepped into the house with Faith next to her after the pair had been patrolling two of the larger graveyards. After having dusted four vampires in one, and three at the other one, the two Slayers returned home. The foyer light was on for the two of them while the rest of the house was dark since Joyce was fast asleep.

"I'm gotta get something to eat," Faith said putting away her jacket onto a coat rack next to the front door, "you know what they say about Slayers, right?"

"Hungry or horny," Buffy chuckled shaking her head while feeling the same as Faith.

Faith then winked at Buffy before she crept towards the kitchen while speaking in a low voice, "and I don't think you or Joyce would want me bringing in someone to help me with my man cravings."

"Ummm… no," Buffy shook her head before emphasizing the 'no' while leaning forward towards Faith, "Nooooooooooo."

"Fine, B," Faith chuckled with her hands up as she walked backwards into the living room, "no guys then. You know what? There are some Hot Pockets in the fridge, you want one?"

"Yeah, sure," Buffy nodded her head, "you go on ahead. I'll go up and check in on mom. And then I'll come back down here."

Faith nodded her head before turning around and walking into the living room, and then left towards the kitchen. In the meantime, Buffy turned towards the stairs while the sound made by flicking on the kitchen light filtered into her ears. The blonde Slayer rushed up the stairs and then tiptoed to her mother's room, opened the door, and then crept in. With the sleeping Joyce laying on her side and facing her, Buffy reached out and gently placed her hand on Joyce's blanket covered arm. She then leaned in and kissed the side of her head before pulling back.

"B.. Buffy?" Joyce whispered as she opened her groggy eyes to see a hazy figure with blonde hair in front of her.

"It's me, mom," Buffy whispered crouching down so that she and Joyce were eye to eye, "Faith and I just got back from patrol."

"Everything's safe?" Joyce whispered before she released a yawn.

"Yea," Buffy said nodding her head, "go back to sleep. Faith and I are gonna have a snack and then go to bed ourselves."

"Alright, sweetie," Joyce mumbled before Buffy kissed her forehead once again. Buffy then got up, said good night, and crept out of the room closing the door behind her. Once the door clicked shut, Buffy leaned back on the door while the sound of the microwave beeping filtered up the stairs and into her ears. The blonde Slayer took in the smell of the cooked pastry full of meat and cheese while she thought about what Tara had told her earlier at the Bronze.

'She likes me,' Buffy thought to herself, 'and then she said she was joking. Yea, she was joking. She was happy, and joking.' Buffy pushed herself off the door while reassuring herself, 'yeah, she was definitely joking. She… was she joking?' Buffy stopped walking down the stairs and stood still, 'would Tara play a trick like that? Telling someone something that private and then laugh it off?' Buffy, her eyes narrowed, took another step down the stairs while thinking, 'she was happy when Faith and I left the car. She was happy when we were dancing at the Bronze. So maybe she really was trying to test out her delivery? But... what… what if she meant it?' Buffy's eyes then went wide open, 'what if she meant it? I.. I could ask her tomorrow…' Buffy took another step down the stairs while wincing at her thoughts, 'but if she says that she was serious, and I tell her that I'm flattered but not interested again, what will that do to her?'

Buffy sighed as she continued down the stairs, and then reached the foyer while thinking, 'maybe its better not to bring it up.' Buffy then strode into the living room before making her way to the kitchen where she nodded at Faith. Buffy didn't say anything – in fact the both of them were silent as they ate – before the both of them head back to their respective bedrooms and went to sleep. While the exhausted Faith, in the remade guest room, fell asleep just as she lay down on the bed; Buffy was staring up at the ceiling as she still tried to recall any sign that Tara actually meant what she said about liking her.

'She was being serious when she said that I was just a guinea pig,' Buffy thought to herself as she rolled to her side and face the door, 'I could just call her, but that would seem weird if I just up and say "hey Tara, sorry for the late-night call, but were you really kidding around?" yeah, that's exactly what I should say'. Buffy shook her head before mentally telling herself that she was being worried about nothing.

'She doesn't like me that way,' Buffy thought to herself as she closed her eyes, 'yeah, she doesn't like me that way. We'll just have a normal day tomorrow.'

 **Sunnydale High Library, 1400 hours.**

"Oz, Willow, Giles," Tara rushed out of the book cage where Giles locked away his personal collection of manuscripts, tomes, and spell books. She rushed to Giles and Willow sitting at the table in the library; they themselves were staring at open pages of various books before looking up at her approaching them with a thick red covered tome carried in both hands, "I think I found something."

Tara placed the book on the table as Giles, Willow, and Oz stood up from their seats, the latter walking up from the other side of the table and standing next to Willow. Tara opened the tome and turned the pages to the one where she had been reading something very interesting.

"We've already discussed meditation, herbs, and elixirs that could control Oz's transformations into the wolf, but we're agreed that all of that is just a stop-gap," Tara said as everyone nodded their heads before Willow chimed in saying that they needed something a little more permanent. It was just then that the doors to the library opened to Buffy, Xander, Cordelia, and Faith walking in talking about the Senior Prom that was still months away.

Tara glanced at Buffy, and then smiled at the young woman. She knew that there was no way to avoid Buffy in school or anywhere else; if she did, then Buffy would know that there was something wrong, and Tara wanted things to be as normal as possible.. no mater how much it hurt her.

"Hey guys," Willow said as Buffy and Faith placed paper bags of burgers and fries on the table, it was supposed to be their lunch, "Tara found something."

"Well?" Cordelia said as she stood next to Tara looking down at the yellowish pages of the tome that was spread open, "what did you find?"

Tara then glanced at Oz before a smile formed on her face. She then looked at Willow and then at Faith, Buffy, Cordelia, and then back at the book, "something that could be a permanent solution for Oz."

"Which is?" Asked Willow.

"Something to do with the original Tibetan religion called Bon."

TBC.


End file.
